Cases of COVID-19 surging in South Africa

Johannesburg, Jul 12 (AP) With surging confirmed cases of COVID-19, South Africa is now ranked as the ninth most affected country by the disease, according to Johns Hopkins University. South Africa has 264,184 cases, including 3,971 deaths, accounting for more than 40 per cent of all the reported cases in Africa.

More than 30 per cent of South Africa's cases are in the economic hub of Gauteng province, which includes the largest city, Johannesburg, and the capital, Pretoria.

Johannesburg's densely populated Soweto township is one of the hot spots. Public hospitals are expressing concerns about shortages of available beds and medical oxygen.

Africa's 54 countries have reported 577,904 cases, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Sunday. The continent's confirmed cases are concentrated in four countries -- South Africa, Egypt with 81,158 cases, Nigeria with 31,987 cases and Algeria with 18,712 cases - which together make up more than 65 per cent of the continent's cases.

The number of actual cases in Africa is believed to be much higher, as the testing rate is very low in many countries. (AP) MRJ