COVID-19: South Africa nearly a third of Africa's cases

Johannesburg, Jun 23 (AP) South Africa's coronavirus cases have surpassed 100,000 as the country makes up close to one-third of all recorded infections on the African continent.

The latest daily update shows a worrying new trend as Gauteng province, home to South Africa's economic hub of Johannesburg, has a higher number of new cases than the hotspot of Western Cape province centered on the city of Cape Town.

Virus cases in Gauteng, which also contains the capital, Pretoria, now make up more than one-fifth of South Africa's total.

South Africa continues to loosen its lockdown despite the rise in cases because of economic pressure, with casinos and beauty parlors the latest businesses allowed to open.

Africa overall has more than 315,000 cases including more than 8,000 deaths. The true number of cases remains unknown because of the low level of testing on the continent due to a shortage of materials. (AP)

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