South Africa is a country gripped in fear as the rate of coronavirus infections has risen exponentially.
In the latest updates from the health department, Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize indicated that coronavirus cases have almost doubled since Monday 16 March.
How many cases of coronavirus are there in South Africa?
We recently reported that according to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), there were 62 cases of coronavirus in South Africa, a majority of which came from Gauteng and the Western Cape.
The latest information from Eyewitness News suggests that in a span of 48 hours, the infection rate has shot up by 46.5%.
This, however, is in stark contrast to what was stated by the health department in a statement released on Wednesday morning.
According to Mkhize, there are currently ” 85 confirmed cases of COVID-19.”
“This means there has been an increase of 23 from yesterday’s (Tuesday 17 March) announcement,” the minister said.
If the data reported by EWN is accurate, then at the end of Tuesday, there were 116 known cases of coronavirus in South Africa.
This figure may seem minuscule in comparison to the numbers recorded by high-risk areas like Europe and the United States.
This is why this total could be much higher in reality
However, it is important to realise that 116 cases have been recorded in a period of 13 days. Moreover, coronavirus data collection is delayed by at least 24 hours, meaning that in reality, the total could be much higher.
Also, the 116 cases represent the total patients who tested positive. Laboratories have yet to inform health authorities of hundreds of other results that trickle in on a daily basis.
There is also the scary reality that most people who show symptoms are not coming forward to get tested, something that further exposes people from spreading the virus.
An update on South Africans repatriated from Wuhan
A silver lining in the department’s statement was an update on the South Africans who were recently repatriated from Wuhan, China.
“South African citizens from Wuhan were tested and their results came back negative for COVID-19. Quarantine is continuing for the prescribed period and govt will thereafter initiate the process of reunifying them with the community,” the statement read.