South Africa today remains the country on the African continent with the highest number of cases, but it has not recorded any deaths as a result of the novel coronavirus, disease, which has wreaked havoc on many countries globally. 

Global figures show 3,285.880 infections to date with 233,411 deaths and 1.034,773 recoveries, the worldodometer online shows. 

South Africa's quick response in declaring a national lockdown soon after the first cases of the disease were recorded here have certainly played a role in a slowing down the spread of the virus, experts have said. 

But the country has away to go, even though it has already started the process of easing the level five, rigid lockdown to allow for more sectors in the economy to start functioning again.

The new level four which the country will move into on Friday still imposes strict measures such as maintaining physical distancing of two meters, wearing masks in public, as well as a curfew between 8pm and 5am. 

Countries such as South Korea have combined their responses with a massive testing drive, which has allowed that country to slow down significantly the spread of the virus, media reports say. 

While its infection rate initially rose rapidly (it stands at  10,765), it only has four new infections in a 24-hour period and its recovery rate is 9,059. With a population of more than 50 million, the country has carried out 619,881 tests.

South Africa is also emphasising testing more broadly to bring the virus under control. To date it has conducted 207,530 of which 10,403 were done in the past 24 hours. 

The provincial breakdown shows that Western Cape is still in the lead with 2,342 cases, an increase of 207 cases, followed by Gauteng with 1,446 and an increase of 38 new cases in a 24-hour period.

KwaZulu-Natal still has the third-highest infections (980) followed by the Eastern Cape with 647 cases, Free State (116) and then Mpumalanga (36), Limpopo (32), North West (31) and  Northern Cape with 17, the health department said in its statement.

African News Agency (ANA)