Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize has made a special plea to South Africans over the age of 63.
He called on them, particularly those who have pre-existing conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, to take extra care as the country moved to Level 4 of the lockdown.
In a statement on Saturday, he said the data for patients who had been hospitalized showed these trends, which were consistent with what was happening worldwide.
Minister Mkhize’s plea came as the countrywide death toll rose to 123, with 6 336 confirmed cases and 2 549 recoveries.
The Minister said the median age of those who had died was 64.
“Other co-morbidities that were seen amongst COVID-19 admitted patients were chronic pulmonary disease, asthma, chronic renal disease, malignancy, HIV, active and past tuberculosis,” he said.
“I would, therefore, like to urge our millions of South Africans who are over 63 years of age and those who live with these conditions to take extra precaution as we ease the lockdown,” Mkhize added.
Meanwhile, the latest data showed that the number of covid19-related deaths in Eastern Cape was 13, with 732 confirmed cases and 275 recoveries.
