South Africa announces 128 new COVID-19 cases
CGTN
A woman wearing a face mask walks on a downtown street Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday, March 16, 2020. AP Photo/Themba Hadebe).

A woman wearing a face mask walks on a downtown street Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday, March 16, 2020. AP Photo/Themba Hadebe).

South African health authorities have announced 128 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the country's total number of recognized cases to 402.

The spike in cases represents a 46% increase over a 24-hour period in a country that has become the epicenter of the novel coronavirus pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The latest announcement from South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases marks the first time COVID-19 has been detected in the country's Northern Cape province. Two cases have now been confirmed in that massive, sparsely populated territory.

South Africa has deployed one of the most aggressive testing regimens on the continent, with nearly 13,000 people tested since the outbreak began.

The country has yet to record any deaths from the novel coronavirus.

Source(s): Reuters