Staff Reporter
South Africa’s COVID-19 death toll has shot up to 34 after seven more people succumbed to the virus, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has announced.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, he also said the number of confirmed infections in the country had increased to 2 506, up by 91 from the previous day’s total.
The Free State’s tally is at 97 cases, while the three provinces of Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal have continued to account for more than 70 percent of the country’s cases, with more than 2 000 cases between them.
“It is with sadness that we report seven new COVID-19-related deaths. Six of these deaths are from KwaZulu-Natal and one of them is from the Gauteng,” Mkhize said, adding the new deaths were from the past several days and were only confirmed at a later stage.
He said most of the latest victims – all aged between 50 and 91 years – had underlying conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension and chronic asthma.
The minister was joined at the press briefing by his deputy Joe Phaahla, Kaizer Chiefs founder Kaizer Motaung, Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza and MultiChoice group director Imtiaz Patel.
The two football clubs and MultiChoice have donated personal protective equipment to assist in the fight against the coronavirus.