27,403 cases of COVID-19 in South Africa

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has announced that South Africa has recorded a total of 27,403 COVID-19 cases as of 28 May 2020.

This is an increase of 1,466 cases compared with the recorded cases on 27 May.

The number of COVID-19-related deaths has increased to 577, which is an increase of 25 over the last 24 hours.

The Department of Health said it has conducted 655,723 tests to date, 20,727 of which were conducted over the last day.

Recoveries to date are 14,370 – which translates to a recovery rate of 52.4%.

“This evening, we are saddened to report that one of the deaths that have been reported is that of an employee of the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS),” Mkhize said.

“She was confirmed with COVID-19 a few weeks ago and was thereafter admitted to hospital. She finally succumbed to death today.”

“We are deeply saddened by this news and wish to send words of comfort to her family and thank them for having allowed their loved one to serve the country during this difficult time,” he said.

Testing data

The Department of Health previously experienced a decline in daily tests, stating that it was experiencing issues in maintaining the number of daily COVID-19 tests due to a shortage of materials.

The number of daily tests has now returned to normal, however, with both passive and active testing increasing over time.

“We continue to see the number of tests increasing rapidly and they consist of those who present to hospitals/laboratories (passive cases) and those who are identified for testing through the screening process,” Mkhize said.

“For various reasons, a lot of work has to be done to synchronize these figures at the laboratory.”

“The figures that are reported are tests that have been conducted. Several tests are concluded, however, a backlog arises where a number of them are not allocated per province.”

Mkhize said the number of days it takes to clear this backlog remains variable.