'Large numbers' of those hit by Covid-19 in SA are black: Mkhize

A “large number” of those infected and who have died from Covid-19 in SA were black, health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said on Friday.

Speaking at a briefing, he said that there had been requests for racial data for infections and deaths, but that this information was not readily available because this is not how it was collected.

However, he said that the data available showed that the black population was the most affected.

“As far as Covid-19 is concerned, at this point we actually don't see a distinction between most of the challenges that we face which are affecting the majority of South Africans, particularly among the black community.

“And therefore we do understand that a large number of the people who are patients and who have succumbed from the infection [Covid-19] are largely from the black population of our country,” he said.

Mkhize said there had been 14 health workers “recorded to have passed” from Covid-19.

This is a developing story.