By Hassan Isilow
JOHANNESBURG (AA) - South Africa reported 1,928 new infections of the novel coronavirus Saturday, taking the number of confirmed cases to 702,131, according to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.
He said 38 people died from the virus in the past 12 - 48 hours, pushing the number of fatalities to 18,408.
The top health official further said 4.5 million people have been tested for the virus since it was first detected in South Africa seven months ago. Meanwhile, 22,608 people were tested in the past 24 hours.
“Our recoveries now stand at 630,436 which translates to a recovery rate of 90%,’’ said Mkhize.
South Africa has the highest number of COVID-19 cases on the African continent and is the twelfth most affected country after the UK, Mexico and Peru reported higher numbers.
Health experts have commended South Africa’s efforts in containing the virus. It was previously among the top 10 most affected countries globally.