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JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 27 (Reuters) – The total number of coronavirus infections in South Africa since the first case in March exceeded a million on Sunday, the Ministry of Health said, just days after it was confirmed that a new faster-spreading variant was present in the country.
The grim milestone comes nine days after the country, most affected in Africa, reported 900,000 cases. It took the country two weeks to reach 900,000 of the 800,000 observed in early December.
Several hospitals and medical centers have reported that wards are full of patients and that many health workers have canceled their holidays to deal with a massive influx of patients.
Mediclinic International Plc, one of the three largest private hospital networks in the country, said on Sunday that a surge in the number of cases had put very heavy pressure on available medical resources, including staff, equipment and beds for intensive treatment of critically ill patients .
“The number of patients seeking care in our hospitals is higher than the previous figures during the first peak and most of our ICU and High Care units are operating at capacity,” the company said, referring to the Western Cape province.
The new variant, called 501.V2, was discovered by a network of scientists in South Africa who have been tracking the virus’s genetics. The variant appears to be concentrated in the south and southeast of the country, dominating the findings of samples collected since October, they say.
The Coronavirus Command Council, the highest government agency overseeing the disease, met on Sunday to decide whether to impose further measures such as a tighter lockdown or stricter public traffic rules, local media reported News24.
“Today we violated one million cumulative cases of COVID-19 in South Africa, with a cumulative total of 1,004,413 reported cases,” the ministry said in a statement late Sunday.
The total number of deaths was 26,735.
For an interactive image, click tmsnrt.rs/2Kx1cMO
The number of daily increases in infections has already surpassed the July peak, when cases passed just under 14,000. The daily infections on December 25 were the highest to date with 14,796 cases.
Since the new variant was announced, several countries have canceled flights to the country, hitting the already bruised travel and tourism industry.
Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Alison Williams