South Africa on Tuesday reported 10 more deaths related with COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 148.
Of the new deaths, seven were reported in Western Cape Province, Heath Minister Zweli Mkhize said in a statement.
As of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa stood at 7,572, up by 352 from Monday’s figure, he said.
Western Cape Province sees the highest number of 3,609 confirmed cases, followed by Gauteng Province with 1,697 and KwaZulu-Natal Province with 1,142.
Meanwhile, a total of 268,064 tests have been conducted so far in the country, with 10,523 done in the past 24 hours, according to Mkhize.
The minister said that as the world marked the World Hand Hygiene Day, which falls on May 5, South Africans should attach greater importance to hand washing to protect themselves from COVID-19.
“Today we commemorate World Hand Hygiene Day in a year that has particularly shone the spotlight on hand hygiene,” the minister said.
One of the ways coronavirus is transferred is by hands which have come into contact with contaminated surfaces, objects or areas of the body, he said.
“The COVID-19 outbreak is giving us an opportunity, as humanity, to review our way of life and take forward all the important lessons we are learning into a new future,” Mkhize said.
The World Health Organization designates May 5 as the World Hand Hygiene Day. This year’s theme is “Save Lives: Clean Your Hands”.
