South Africa has lost more than 18 000 to COVID-19 after 165 more people died on Tuesday.
Of the latest fatalities, 50 are in KwaZulu-Natal, 31 in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, 28 in Free State and 11 in the Western Cape.
Meanwhile, five more people who succumbed to the respiratory disease are in Limpopo and Northern Cape and four in Mpumalanga.
This brings the death toll to 18 028 since the outbreak in March.
According to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, 18 of the recorded deaths occurred in the past 24 to 48 hours.
“We extend our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers that treated the deceased patients,” he added.
In addition, the cumulative number of detected COVID-19 cases has jumped to 694 537 after 1 178 patients were confirmed to have contracted the virus.
Also, 625 574 patients have recuperated which translates to a recovery rate of 90%, while 4 433 952 tests have been conducted with 15 534 new tests conducted since the last report.
More than 37 million cases have been reported worldwide, including 1 079 029 deaths reported to the World Health Organisation. – SAnews.gov.za
