South Africa Covid-19 death toll tops 5,000
South Africa's death toll from coronavirus has passed the 5,000 mark, according to official figures released on Sunday by the continent's hardest hit country.
South Africa registered 85 new deaths from the virus in the last a day, bringing the death toll to 5,033.
A complete of 13,449 new infections were also officially diagnosed, taking the quantity to 364,328, figures released by the health ministry showed.
Minister of Health Zweli Mkhiz urged citizens to respect recommended hygiene measures.
"As government, we have mobilized every resource.... But government cannot manage this unilaterally," he said in a statement.
"We are really concerned that fatigue seems to have occur and South Africans are letting down their guard at the same time when the spread of infection is surging.
"We see poor or no social distancing in communities. Masks are abandoned or not worn properly," he said.
"This will directly influence the rise in numbers within the next two weeks. Our capability to break through the cycle of infections depends upon our willingness to remain focused and disciplined and take non pharmaceutical interventions seriously," the minister said.
The peak of the pandemic in South Africa is expected over another few weeks.
Authorities imposed a strict lockdown in late March, however the measures have already been progressively eased to avoid monetary collapse. - AFP
