KwaZulu-Natal now has the second-highest percentage of total COVID-19 infections in the country, knocking the Western Cape to third place. Gauteng still leads with the most infections.
In his daily COVID-19 update on August 11, heath minister Dr Zweli Mkhize reported the country has a total of 566 109 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The number of recoveries are currently at 426 125, which translates to a recovery rate of 75%.
Of the total confirmed cases, 34.3% stem from Gauteng. KwaZulu-Natal has narrowly overtaken the Western Cape with a reported 17.8% of cases coming from the province. In third place, the Western Cape is responsible for 17.7%.
Mkhize also announced there have been 130 new COVID-19 related deaths: 20 from Eastern Cape, 35 from Gauteng, 30 from KwaZulu-Natal, 20 from North West, 25 from Western Cape. This brings the cumulative total of reported COVID-19 related deaths to 10 751.
The Western Cape appears to have surpassed the peak of the virus. Numbers have been slightly declining in recent weeks, and the demand on hospitals has decreased. The Thusong hospital in Khayelitsha has closed and it will be moving to provinces where help is needed.
The provincial government will soon evaluate whether there is a need for all field hospitals to remain open, as hospitalisations are less frequent in the province.
According to Premier Alan Winde, he has written to Minister Mkhize and Cogta Minister Dlamini Zuma outlining their argument why the Western Cape could move to a different alert level.
The recommendations include allowing businesses which can open safely to be allowed to do so, and that the alcohol ban should be lifted, in conjunction with the implementation of smart measures aimed at reducing alcohol harms.