The Republic of South Africa reports a record number of new cases of coronavirus. The main source of the epidemic is Johannesburg, and the reason for it is the new variant “Delta” of the virus, health authorities said, quoted by the Associated Press.
More than 26,000 new cases have been confirmed in the last 24 hours, up from 24,000 a day earlier, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. Thus, the highest values reached in previous waves of infection have been exceeded, and many hospitals are rapidly filling their capacity.
More than 13,800 people are currently being treated in hospitals in South Africa, and some hospitals are canceling planned operations to make room and medical staff for new patients.
The official death toll since the start of the pandemic has surpassed 63,000, although statistics on the country’s increased overall mortality suggest the death toll could actually be more than 170,000.
The 2 million infected in South Africa since the onset of the pandemic accounted for more than 30 percent of all 54 countries in Africa, according to the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last week, President Cyril Ramaposa announced a tightening of measures against the spread of the virus, including a longer evening, a ban on the sale of alcohol, the closure of many schools and the suspension of travel to and from Gauteng, South Africa’s largest province. which includes Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria. More than 60% of the new cases are in Gauteng, BTA reports.
Neighboring South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are also battling a sharp increase in infections.
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