Johannesburg - South Africa has recorded 4 645 new confirmed Covid-19 cases and 104 deaths since the last report, the Health ministry said on Saturday.
The cumulative number of cases now stands at 810 449 and the death toll at 22 067.
At 14 417 cases the Western Cape current has the highest number of active cases, followed by the Eastern Cape with 8 536 cases and KwaZulu-Natal with 8 501.
Gauteng, which for months was the epicentre of the pandemic in the country, currently has only 3 127 active cases.
Deaths and recoveries
Of the 104 deaths reported on Saturday, 65 were from the Eastern Cape, 20 from the Western Cape, 7 from Gauteng, 6 from KwaZulu-Natal and 3 each from the Free State and Mpumalanga.
Testing data
To date, 5 565 928 tests have been completed, of which 31 844 were conducted since the last report.
Vaccine plans
There are four candidate vaccines that have been studied in the South African population which are produced by Astra Zeneca, Novavax, Johnson&Johnson and Pfizer/ BioNTech.
Before a vaccine can be rolled out the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) must assess the safety, efficacy and quality of the vaccine, but, none of the vaccine manufacturers have submitted their applications to SAHPRA as yet.
To support South Africa’s efforts to secure early access to Covid-19 vaccines and treatments as soon as they become available, the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid-19 Vaccines has been developing a strategy for the implementation of a Covid-19 vaccination rollout.
This strategy will include a review of available resources, services delivery platforms, and the required investment to ensure a successful administration to the selected priority groups.
Collaboration between the private and public health sectors will be key to the successful implementation of the vaccine.
IOL