Coronavirus: outbreak of new infections in South Africa

Coronavirus screening center in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 14, 2020. AFP

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South Africa announced this Sunday, May 17, 1,160 new cases of contamination with the coronavirus. This is the highest balance since the registration of the first case in March. A heavy toll as the country began to lighten its containment measures in place since March 27.

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With more than 15,500 cases of coronavirus , South Africa is the most affected country on the continent. The progression of new cases seemed to have slowed down with the introduction of strict containment at the end of March, but the results of this Sunday rekindled concerns.

A total of 1,160 new cases were recorded in one day, most of them in the Eastern Cape province. The province has become the epicenter of the epidemic, due to the number of slums around the city of Cape Town where it has been particularly difficult to impose containment. But the province is also the region that has performed the most screening tests.

The worst is yet to come, scientists say.

Despite this new assessment, the government is determined to gradually reduce the measures to combat the coronavirus. Already last week, several million people were able to return to work. This weekend, the Minister of Health, Zweli Mkize warned: “  We have no choice, we must revive the economy. People must be able to work, to be able to eat.  Especially since the number of deaths is currently relatively low with 263 deaths.

Last week the main opposition party also launched legal proceedings to obtain a complete lifting of the containment , indicating that poverty would kill more people than the Covid-19. However, according to scientists, the worst is yet to come. They estimate that the country should reach a peak within three or four months.

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  • South Africa
  • Coronavirus
  • Health and Medicine
  • Confinement

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