With the total number of recoveries nearing the 300 000 mark, the rate of recovery in the country has also seen some improvement, from 61% on Monday. 

This means South Africa's recovery rate is well above the global average of 58.2%.

On Tuesday, Mkhize said a cumulative total of 452 529 confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa had been recorded.

The total number of tests conducted by Tuesday stood at 2 830 635 with 28 424 new tests conducted since the last report dated 27 July.

"Regrettably, we report 190 new Covid-19 related deaths: 11 from Eastern Cape, 55 from Gauteng, 62 from KwaZulu-Natal, 49 from the Western Cape, and 13 from the North West. This brings the cumulative number of deaths to 7 257," Mkhize said.

"We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers who treated the deceased."

Gauteng is still the leading province, with 164 584 cases, followed by the Western Cape at 92 983 cases and the Eastern Cape at 75 067 cases.

The Eastern Cape is of particular concern. On Tuesday, the province's premier Oscar Mabuyane warned the Eastern Cape would be bracing for its toughest month in August as cases of infections are expected to double.

Mabuyane made the announcement during a coronavirus command council briefing in Bhisho.

"Our forecast is that August is the eye of the Covid-19 storm. All of us must buckle up because we are about to have tough times of our lifetime.

"We expect a surge in infections to almost double over the next six weeks.

"This will put our already strained health systems under more pressure, particularly on the availability of critical care beds.

"We expect to be out of the eye of the storm in September, with a decline in numbers of new cases and lower rates of new infections.

"October is a month where we expect to see stabilisation in daily increases and this will offer some relief to our pressured health systems."

Case data as on 28 July. Supplied: Department of Health

Provincial data on 28 July. Supplied: Department of Health

South Africa still ranks fifth among the world's countries in terms of reported Covid-19 cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre. 

The US is still in first place, with 4 351 997 cases reported and 149 256 deaths, followed by Brazil (2 483 191 cases and 88 539 deaths), India (1 531 669 cases and 34 193 deaths), and Russia (822 060 cases and 13 483 deaths).

Worldwide, 16 737 842 cases have been reported, with 9 749 159 recoveries and 660 383 deaths.

Worst to come for African continent

Africa is now edging towards a million coronavirus cases, but experts warn far worse lies ahead in a continent struggling with fragile health systems and slender economic resources.

Countries across Africa have recorded more than 850 000 infections and at least 18 000 deaths, according to an AFP tally as of Tuesday.

The toll took a while to move into higher gear thanks to early restrictions on contact and movement, Dr Mary Stephens, an expert at the World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa office, told AFP.

"We haven't seen the peak yet," she warned. "All countries in Africa are at risk because our health systems are relatively weak."

Week-by-week figures

A week ago, on 22 July, a cumulative total of 394 948 confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa had been recorded. This means in the past week, there has been an increase of 57 581 new cases and deaths have increased by 1 317.

*According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the following simple definition of "recovered" should be used: "A person with probable/confirmed Covid-19 [who] is known to be alive and 14 days have elapsed since diagnosis (for asymptomatic), onset of symptoms (for mild cases) or clinical stability/supplementary oxygen stopped (for moderate to severe cases in hospital)."

News24