South Africa has recorded 13 105 new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases bringing the total to 1 259 748. Gauteng is leading with a total of 341 460 cases which is 27.1% of the total number of cases.
In a statement, the Department of Health also announced a further 755 deaths.
“Eastern Cape 134; Free State 26; Gauteng 225; Kwa-Zulu Natal 218; Limpopo 11; Mpumalanga 11; Northern Cape 2; and Western Cape, 128.” This brings the total number of deaths to 34 334.
The recoveries now stand at 1 019 123, representing a recovery rate of 81%.
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On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the country would be embarking on a vaccination programme to curb the spread of the virus.
The president also announced further measures to fight the virus:
Meanwhile, the United States lost more than 22 000 lives to COVID-19 last week, setting a record for the second week in a row, as new cases also hit a weekly high.
California was the state with the most deaths at 3 315 in the week ended January 10, or about eight out of every 100 000 people, up 44% from the prior week, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county reports.
Arizona had the highest death rate per capita at 15 per 100 000 residents, followed by Rhode Island at 13 and West Virginia at 12 deaths per 100 000 people.
Cumulatively, nearly 375 000 people in the country have died from the novel coronavirus, or one in every 873 residents. The total could rise to more than 567 000 by April 1, according to a forecast from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).
The United States reported more than 1.7 million new cases of COVID-19 last week, up 17% from the prior seven days. Former US Food and Drug Administration chief Scott Gottleib said new cases could start declining in February.
Across the United States, 13.4% of tests came back positive for the virus, down from 13.6% the prior week, according to data from the volunteer-run COVID Tracking Project. The highest rates were in Iowa at 59%, Idaho at 54% and Alabama at 45%.
