SA hits 3,026 Covid-19 deaths as cases pass 10,000 in one day for first time

SA recorded its 3,026th Covid-19 fatality on Saturday, just 99 days after the first death was reported in the country on March 27.

There were also more than 10,000 cases in a single day for the first time. Gauteng accounted for more than 5,000 of these cases.

Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize confirmed the grim milestones in a statement.

He said that there were 3,026 total deaths, up 74 from the figure announced on Friday evening. The Western Cape accounts for 2,026 of these deaths.

It took 73 days from the first fatality and the 1,000th, and then 15 days to the 2,000th and then another 15 days to pass the 3,000 mark.

Mkhize also announced an increase in 10,873 cases, taking the national total to 187,977. This shattered the previous single-day high by more than 1,000 cases.

The ministry also announced that there had been 91,227 recoveries recorded to date.

The Western Cape has recorded 68,376 cases to date, followed by Gauteng with 59,373. The Eastern Cape has the third-highest number of cases (34,161), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (13,984) and the North West (5,644).

In terms of deaths, the majority have been recorded in the Western Cape (2,026), followed by the Eastern Cape (490), Gauteng (282) and KZN (162).

The figures were based on 1,792,078 total tests, of which 46,925 fell under the most recent 24-hour reporting period.