South African Deputy Employment and Labour Minister Boitumelo Elizabeth Moloi has tested positive for the coronavirus as the second wave of the pandemic takes the death toll to over 33,000 nationwide, the Presidency announced on Monday.
According to the high office, Moloi was hospitalised on 5 January 2021 after complaining of feeling unwell.
Upon being tested, she was found to be Covid-19 positive on 6 January 2021, the office said.
“Deputy Minister Moloi remains hospitalised, recovering well and confident that she will overcome the virus.
“All members of the deputy minister’s office who have come in contact with her will also undergo self-isolation as we, once again, extend our well wishes to all persons currently battling with the virus a speedy recovery,” the Presidency said.
Moloi is one of several high-profile senior officials who have contracted the deadly disease, and are being treated for the virus during self-quarantine in their homes, according to the office.
South Africa recorded 17,421 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday.
This has pushed the number of total Covid-19 cases to 1,231,597 since the outbreak of the disease in March 2020, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said.
Meanwhile, the death toll has climbed to 33 163 after 339 more people passed away due to coronavirus complications in the past 24 hours, he said.
The minister said that of the latest fatalities, some 113 patients died in the Western Cape Province, 77 people lost their lives in the Eastern Cape Province, 71 in KwaZulu-Natal Province, 28 in Gauteng Province, 14 in Limpopo Province, 10 in Mpumalanga Province and seven in the Northern Cape Province
“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers who treated the deceased,” Mkhize said.
NM/as/APA