South Africa reports 48 more COVID-19 deaths

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG (AA) - South Africa reported 48 more coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s death toll to 1,210, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced late Wednesday.

Mkhize said the country also registered 2,430 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 55,421.

He said the mortality rate was 2.2%, while 31,505 people have recovered from the virus since it was first reported in the country nearly three months ago.

South Africa, which has the highest number of infections in Africa, has so far tested 998,400 people for the deadly respiratory illness.

The Western Cape Province -- home to Cape Town, South Africa’s tourism hub -- remains the epicenter of the virus in Africa’s most advanced economy with 927 deaths and 36,021 cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 202,782 on Wednesday, according to an update from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

A total of 5,516 deaths and 90,779 recoveries have been recorded among the continent’s 54 countries.