South Africa reported a record 192 single-day deaths related to COVID-19 late Tuesday, bringing the total to 3,502 in the country.
Of the new deaths, 75 were reported in Gauteng Province, 44 in Western Cape, 36 in Eastern Cape, 22 in KwaZulu-Natal, and 15 in Limpopo, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said.
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country stood at 215,855, of which 10,134 were new cases reported in the previous 24 hours, the minister said.
Western Cape remained the epicenter with 72,156 confirmed cases, followed by Gauteng with 71,488 cases, Eastern Cape with 40,401 cases and KwaZulu-Natal with 16,743 cases.
The number of recoveries stood at 102,299, which translated to a recovery rate of 47.4 percent, Mkhize said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the minister warned of a viral onslaught in Gauteng, as the province scrambled to find more beds for patients in critical condition.
Gauteng could become South Africa’s new COVID-19 epicenter if the number of daily new infections continues its upward trajectory, Mkhize said.
Western Cape now has just 668 more COVID-19 cases than Gauteng.
Mkhize said the government may need to consider additional lockdown restrictions in parts of the country as infections continued to surge.
