Economics
One in 200 South Africans May Have Died of Covid-19
- Excess-death number climbed above 300,000 during pandemic
- South Africa has one of the world’s highest excess-death rates
A medical consultant enters the Covid-19 ward at the Tembisa Hospital in Tembisa, in March 2021.
Photographer: Guillem Sartorio/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The coronavirus may have killed one in every 200 South Africans.
Excess deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic, seen as a more accurate way of measuring its impact than official statistics, climbed to 301,106 in the week ended March 5, according to South African Medical Research Council data released on Wednesday. That’s triple the official fatality rate of just under 100,000.