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JOHANNESBURG, December 27 (Reuters) – Total coronavirus infections in South Africa since the first case in March exceeded one million on Sunday, the Ministry of Health said, just days after confirmation of the presence of a new spread variant. fastest in the country.
The sad milestone comes nine days after the country, the hardest hit in Africa, reported 900,000 cases. It took the country two weeks to reach 900,000, out of 800,000 visas in early December.
Several hospitals and medical centers reported wards filled with patients, with many health professionals canceling their vacation to deal with a large flow of patients.
Mediclinic International Plc, one of the country’s top three private hospital chains, said on Sunday that a huge increase in cases has put a great deal of pressure on available health resources, including staff, equipment and beds to provide intensive care to critically ill patients. .
“The number of patients seeking care in our hospitals exceeded previous numbers during the first peak and most of our ICU and high-care units are operating at maximum capacity,” said the company, referring to the Western Cape province. .
The new variant, known as 501.V2, was discovered by a network of scientists from South Africa who tracked down the genetics of the virus. The variant appears to be focused on the south and southeast of the country and has dominated the results of the samples collected since October, they say.
The Coronavirus Command Council, the main government agency that monitors the disease, met on Sunday to decide whether additional measures, such as a stricter blockade or stricter rules on the public movement, should be imposed, according to local media. News24.
“Today, we violate one million cumulative cases of COVID-19 in South Africa, with a cumulative total of 1,004,413 cases reported,” the ministry said in a statement late Sunday.
The total number of deaths reached 26,735.
For an interactive chart, click on tmsnrt.rs/2Kx1cMO
The number of daily increases in infections has already exceeded the peak of July, when the cases reached just 14,000. Daily infections on December 25 were the highest to date, with 14,796 cases.
Since the new variant was announced, several countries have canceled flights to the country, damaging the already injured travel and tourism sector.
Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Alison Williams