covid 19 coronavirus confirmed cases south africa

A woman holds up a placard as a small group of people take part in a protest outside a school in Bishop Lavis, to protest against the South African government’s decision to open some schools, in Cape Town/ Photo: AFP/Rodger Bosch

COVID-19 latest: Confirmed cases in SA increase by 3 267, total deaths now at 848

The Health Ministry announced that the number of COVID-19 cases in South Africa had risen to 40 792 since Wednesday, 3 June 2020.

covid 19 coronavirus confirmed cases south africa

A woman holds up a placard as a small group of people take part in a protest outside a school in Bishop Lavis, to protest against the South African government’s decision to open some schools, in Cape Town/ Photo: AFP/Rodger Bosch

It’s day four of Level 3 lockdown and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize warned South Africans who are returning to their workplaces “not to forget basic COVID-19 prevention measures.

He shared two graphics on Twitter showing two ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 the workplace: By ensuring workplaces are clean and hygienic, and by regularly wiping surfaces and objects with disinfectant.

covid 19 workplace prevention measures 2
Image via Twitter: @DrZweliMkhize
covid 19 workplace prevention measures 2
Image via Twitter: @DrZweliMkhize

COVID-19 update: Thursday, 4 June 2020

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on Twitter that the number of COVID-19 cases in South Africa now stands at 40 792; an increase of 3 267 since Wednesday, 3 June 2020.

An additional 56 deaths were reported, bringing the total to 848. Minister Mkhize also confirmed that 21 311 people have recovered from COVID-19. He said:

The recoveries to date are 21 311, this translates to a recovery rate of 52.24%.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize

Breakdown of new confirmed COVID-19 cases

New cases, deaths and recoveries by province

The confirmed COVID-19 cases per province is as follows:

ProvinceTotal CasesDeathsRecoveries
Gauteng4 845332 222
Western Cape27 00665114 917
KwaZulu Natal2 869551 260
Free State3229128
Eastern Cape4 936952 460
Limpopo20633
Mpumalanga144086
North West364159
Northern Cape95133
Unallocated500

Tests and screening

As of today, a total of 820 675 tests have been conducted, of which 34 696 were done in the last 24 hours. The total number of tests conducted in the private sector stands at 402 188, of which 13 886 were done in the last 24 hours.

In addition, 418 487 tests were conducted in the public sector, with 20 810 being done within the last 24 hours.

Global COVID-19 news: Total cases, US protests

At the time of publishing, global figures exceeded 6.6 million confirmed cases – 6 627 331 to be exact – with the death toll now standing at 389 251 and 3 201 016 recoveries.

The USA still has the most confirmed cases as it nears a cumulative of 2 million. Currently: 1 909 472 cases, 109 394 deaths and 690 457 recoveries. The country currently has 16 947 critical cases.

Brazil has the second-most cases, globally, with 590 485 confirmed cases, 32 688 deaths and 266 132 recovered, while Russia has 441 108 confirmed cases, 5 384 deaths and 2016 623 recoveries.

Sweden’s COVID-19 strategy

In other news, experts are questioning whether Sweden’s COVID-19 strategy backfired. Sweden’s chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, acknowledged the county’s high death toll. .

According to Statista, Tegnell said during a radio interview that if they had to encounter the same disease again, they’d need to change the strategy a bit:

“Knowing exactly what we know about it today, I think we would settle on doing something in between what Sweden did and what the rest of the world has done.”

‘The situation is still serious’

The latest data from Johns Hopkins University shows that as of 1 June 2020, Sweden had 43.24 deaths per 100 000 of its population, while Denmark and Finland recorded less than 10 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants.

Minister for Financial Markets Per Bolund said on Thursday that Sweden will provide free testing for anyone showing COVID-19 symptoms and conduct contact tracing for those who are infected. Prime Minister Stefan Lofven added:

“The situation is still serious. This announcement doesn’t mean that the danger has passed. It doesn’t mean life returns to normal.”

covid-19 sweden
Image via Statista