Gauteng accounts for 36% of Covid-19 cases in SA, says Masuku

• Gauteng accounts for 36% of cases in the country, says the province's Health MEC.
• The province also accounts for 42% of active cases in the country, according to the provincial government. 
• Three sub-districts in the province record over 10 000 cases.

The densely-populated province of Gauteng accounts for 36% of Covid-19 cases in the country, Health MEC Bandile Masuku said on Friday.

"36% of all cases in the country are in Gauteng and 42% of active cases in the country are in Gauteng.

"Gauteng is an epicentre and we are in the middle of a storm," Masuku explained. The Health MEC was speaking at a weekly presentation on the Covid-19 response in the province.

This comes as the province has so far recorded 148 854 cases, with 77 397 recoveries and 1 187 deaths.

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Johannesburg remains the hotspot in the province, with 63 760 cases, of which three sub-districts in the city have each recorded over 10 000 cases each.

City of Johannesburg D which consists of Doornkop, Soweto, Dobsonville and Protea Glen still leads with 14 587 cases, followed by City of Johannesburg F with 11 371 cases in the Inner City and Johannesburg South.

City of Johannesburg E has recorded 10 554 cases which consists of Alexandra, Wynberg, Sandton, Orange Grove and Houghton.

In addition, a sub-district within the City of Tshwane is nearing 10 000 cases.

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City of Tshwane 3 has recorded 8 773 cases - this sub-district consists of Atteridgeville, Laudium, Pretoria CBD, Hercules, Danville, Saulsville, Lotus and Pretoria West.

The Gauteng government appealed to the province's residents to adhere to non-pharmaceutical interventions in order to curb the spread of the virus.

"The virus is spread mainly from person to person and therefore a change in our behaviour remains an important weapon to contain the spread," Masuku said.