Record number of new infections in South Africa

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The spread of the COVID-19 virus is increasing in South Africa. On Friday, the country recorded more than 24,000 new infections – the highest daily number since the beginning of the epidemic.

A third wave, driven by the more contagious forms of delta, is spreading in South Africa, while only five percent of the population has been vaccinated. The burden on hospitals is significant, particularly in the Johannesburg metropolitan area.

On Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa took several measures to try to stop the spread of the infection. Among other things, the sale of alcoholic beverages has been temporarily stopped and restaurants are not allowed to serve guests indoors.

The fact that there are very few vaccinations can be attributed to several reasons. In addition to the non-standard bureaucracy in South Africa, the government had to destroy two million contaminated doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The president also accused wealthy Western countries of “apartheid” by giving priority to their own citizens over those of poor developing countries.

So far, more than 60,000 people, out of about 60 million people in South Africa, have died in the wings of the coronavirus.