COVID-19: Two Dies, Over 1,000 Infected in South Africa

• COVID-19: Two Dies, Over 1,000 Infected in South Africa

South Africa on Friday recorded the first two deaths from the coronavirus pandemic as the deadly virus ravages Africa’s second-largest economy.

According to Alan Winde, Provincial Premier, the two women, aged 28 and 48, died in the earlier hours of Friday in hospitals in the Western Cape Province.

President Cyril Ramaphosa had ordered a 21-day lockdown of the entire nation starting from Thursday mid-night in a move to curtail the spread of the deadly virus and prevent escalation of the situation in an economy already struggling with recession.

On Thursday, the country’s health minister, Zweli Mkhize, warned that the pandemic is still at its early stage and could spiral out of control as already overburdened health system struggles with limited capacity. He warned that unless the spread of the virus is contained or slowed the situation could get much worse.

The health minister added that the total number of infected persons rose more than 1,000 on Friday but will only give a precise number later in the day.

In the US, the number of confirmed cases jumped to 85,500 on Thursday, the largest ever recorded globally, and further heighten global tension as financial markets doubt current stimulus would be enough to rescue the global economy against COVID-19.