SOME 24,000 health workers in South Africa have contracted the coronavirus, 181 of whom have died, since the pandemic hit the country in March, said the health minister today.

South Africa is the hardest-hit country in Africa with at least 521,318 infections so far, accounting for more than half of the continent’s cases.

Minister Zweli Mkwize told a press conference that the number of health workers who have tested positive for Covid-19 stands at 24,104, with 181 deaths.

The number of infected healthcare personnel translates to around 5% of the country’s total caseload, compared with the global rate of some 10%, he said.

The country’s caseload has been rising rapidly in recent weeks.

Health authorities have been expecting a surge in infections after the gradual loosening of a strict lockdown imposed on March 2 during the early stages of the pandemic.

South Africa now sits in the top five globally in terms of the number of infections. – AFP, August 5, 2020.