The Free State has at this stage the highest death rate in the region with six Covid-19 deaths, while the North West and the Northern Cape both recorded one. 

The Northern Cape Department of Health spokesperson, Lebohang Majaha, says in this case the deceased has been identified as a 60-year-old woman in the Phokwane Local Municipality, which includes Hartswater in the Frances Baard District. He says she was admitted to a health facility with congestive heart failure, amongst other complications. Majaha says following her admission she was tested for Covid-19 due to her travel history outside the province and her laboratory results came back as positive.

So far the Free State has the most active cases with 44 at present after 118 recoveries and 6 deaths from 168 reported cases, NW is just one shy from the FS with 43 active cases after 28 recoveries and 1 death reported while the NC has the lowest cases of active cases with 9 after 27 recoveries and one death reported from 37 cases. 

So far active cases in the region from these three provinces now stand at 96, recoveries at 173 and 8 deaths from 277 of reported cases.

About 20 915 tests conducted in the FS with 1 417 595 people screened while 3 334 of the 3 356 known contacts have been successfully traced and contacted. 

In the NC About  907 822 people have been screened across the with 4133 tests conducted. In the NW the total number of 2 073 672 have been screened for Covid-19 and only 1 945 people screened showed symptoms and they were referred including.

Mangaung in the Free State, which include Bloemfontein, remains the epicentre with over 130 cases of the virus, the Bojanala District, which includes Rustenburg, remains the North West's epicentre with 40 cases, and in the Northern Cape the Frances Baard district, which include Hartswater, is the epicentre with 21 cases of Covid-19 reported.  

So far 41 Cuban health workers have been sent to assist the region with 17 being in the Free State, 13 in the North West, and 11 in the Northern Cape. The Cuban health workers include clinicians, an epidemiologist, a biostatistician, health technologists and physicians. 

Meanwhile, on Tuesday night 19 May, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced that the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa now stands at 17 200. Mkhize also announced that the country has now recorded a total number of 312 deaths and a total of 7960 recoveries.

OFM News