This archive report was first published on 21 May 2020.
On May 20, 2020, South Africa's Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced a total of 399 deaths from the Covid-19 pandemic, an increase of 27 in the past 24 hours.
"Sadly we have recorded the first neonatal mortality related to Covid-19," Mr Mkhize said, referring to a two-day-old baby who was born prematurely and died due to lung difficulties.
The mother had tested positive for the coronavirus and the child was found infected too, the minister said.
Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa has risen to 18,003, up by 803 from the previous day, said Mr Mkhize.
With 8,950 recoveries to date, the country has conducted a total of 505,861 tests, including 18,252 in the last 24-hour cycle.
The Western Cape province remains the epicentre of the outbreak, with 11,262 confirmed cases and 210 deaths, followed by Gauteng with 2,400 cases and 27 deaths, the Eastern Cape with 2,215 cases and 45 deaths, and KwaZulu-Natal with 1,650 cases and 46 deaths.
