COVID-19:The journey so far in South Africa

South Africa has 4 793 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 90 deaths as of Monday.

“We regret to report a further three deaths: two from the Western Cape and one from KZN. This brings the total cumulative COVID-19 related deaths to 90,” said Health Minister, Dr Zwelini Mkhize.

Among the three deceased is a 79-year-old male from the Western Cape who presented with shortness of breath and chest pain. His co-morbidities included diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease and cardiac disease.

A 58-year-old male from the Western Cape, who presented with imminent cardiovascular arrest, also passed away. He was a person living with HIV and had obesity.

The third death was a 54-year-old male from KwaZulu-Natal who presented with respiratory distress. He had underlying diabetes.

“We wish to convey our condolences to the families of the deceased and thank the health care workers who treated the deceased patients,” said the Minister.

The total number of tests conducted to date is 178 470, of which 9 827 were done in the last 24 hours.

The provincial breakdown of COVID-19 cases is as follows: Gauteng has 1 353 cases; Western Cape with 1 737; KwaZulu-Natal with 902; Eastern Cape with 588; Free State with 111; Limpopo with 31; North West with 28; Mpumalanga with 26 and 17 cases in the Northern Cape.

Engagements with Clinicians and Experts

On Monday evening, the Health Minister participated in a virtual ‘grand ward round’ with over 400 participants, including provincial MECs, HODs, clinicians, epidemiological and infectious diseases experts.

Mkhize said the discussions contributed immensely to the body of work that ensures increased medical precision.

“We discussed some interesting cases and unusual presentations. As we continue to learn more about COVID-19 it is especially important to stay in touch with the frontline workers to better understand the inner workings of treating individual patients,” he said.

SAnews.gov.z