COVID-19: SA records 144 new deaths; over 3,700 new cases

This week marked the first weekend under level two of the lockdown amid constant reminders from health experts that the fight against the pandemic is far from over.

FILE: Members of a family dressed in personal protective equipment put the body of a man who died of COVID-19 into a grave during a Muslim burial at the Klip Road Cemetery in Grassy Park, Cape Town, on 9 June 2020. Picture: AFP.

Ayanda Nyathi | 634 days ago

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa has recorded 144 more COVID-19 related deaths, pushing the national toll to 12,987.

This week marked the first weekend under level two of the lockdown amid constant reminders from health experts that the fight against the pandemic is far from over.

More than 3,700 more cases were picked up in the last 24 hours and that's lifted the country’s case load just over 607,000.

South Africa is still among the top five countries with the highest number of infections in the world.

However, more experts are speaking out cautioning the public against interpreting this as a suggestion that the country has the most intense epidemic.

There are growing calls to better contextualise the COVID-19 figures, as varying testing capabilities and population sizes often affect how many positive cases are pick-up in each country.

At the same time, the number of people across the globe that have now contracted the coronavirus has now climbed past the 23 million. More than 803,000 people have now died.