Staff Reporter
An 18-year-old learner from Lephola Secondary School in Thabong, Welkom, has succumbed to COVID-19-related complications.
Education MEC Tate Makgoe announced on his Twitter account on Wednesday that the school will be closed until Monday to allow for decontamination.
The provincial department’s spokesperson, Howard Ndaba, confirmed by telephone that almost half of the deceased learner’s class had tested positive for the acute respiratory disease.
“It’s a class of 24 and 10 other students have tested positive for COVID-19,” said Ndaba.
“Two other learners from another class have also tested positive. It’s quite a dire situation,” he added.
Free State health authorities have expressed concern at the high incidence of COVID-19 cases across the province which is now tackling the third wave of the disease.
As of yesterday, the province recorded 331 new cases of which 54 percent or 179 cases were in Mangaung Metro.
Fezile Dabi and Thabo Mofutsanyana districts had 41 new cases each while Lejweleputswa, which includes Welkom, had 38.
Xhariep recorded 32.
The Free State now has 97 908 confirmed cumulative cases with 89 percent or 87 270 recoveries.
About 4 225 people in the province have died from the disease.
At least 12 percent of the confirmed cases include persons under the age of 20.