JOHANNESBURG 

South Africa has recorded 30 new coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 369, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced Thursday. 

“We wish to express our condolences to the loved ones of the deceased and thank the healthcare workers who treated these patients,” Mkhize said in a statement.

Mkhize said 1,134 more COVID-19 infections were also confirmed, bringing the total number of cases in South Africa to 19,137.

The country now has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases on the continent.

He added that 525,433 tests have been conducted across the country since the virus was first reported in March while 8,950 people have recovered from the disease.

South Africa’s tourism hub, the Western Cape Province, has the highest number of confirmed cases at 12,153.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 patients on the continent has now reached 95,201, according to the latest data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The death toll across the continent stands at 2,997 while 38,075 people have recovered.

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 188 countries and regions, with Europe and the US currently the worst hit.

The pandemic has killed nearly 330,000 people worldwide, with more than 5 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 1.9 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University of the US.