(Johannesburg) South Africa has seen an almost 59% increase in the total number of natural deaths in recent weeks, leaving specialists believe the number of coronavirus-related deaths is actually much higher than official statistics indicate.
Posted on 23 July 2020 at 704
France Media Agency
“Over the past few weeks the numbers have seen a relentless increase – in the second week of July there were 59% of deaths more natural causes than one would expect based on historical data, ”according to a South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) report released on Wednesday.
The report of the Council – an independent unit funded by the government – was released on the same day the Ministry of Health announced a record daily number of 572 COVID Deaths – 07.
The author of the report, Professor Debbie Bradshaw, judges that “the weekly death reports have revealed a huge gap between deaths confirmed by COVID – 19 and the number of excess natural deaths ”.
South Africa is the most affected country in Africa and is among the top five in the world in terms of confirmed cases, with 394 948 infections reported to date, including 5940 deaths.
The death rate however remained low, at around 1.5% on Wednesday, according to daily updates from the Ministry of Health.
The SAMRC “has been tracking mortality for decades in South Africa, and this system has identified excess deaths associated with the COVID epidemic – 19, ”said Professor Glenda Gray, CEO of the board.
“These deaths can be attributed to both COVID deaths – 07 and non-COVID deaths – 19 due to other diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV and non-communicable diseases, as health services are reoriented to support this health crisis, ”she said.
