National excess deaths, seen as a more precise way of measuring total fatalities from the coronavirus, rose to 203 000 during the coronavirus pandemic, the South African Medical Research Council said.
The number of excess deaths, which is measured against an historical average, recorded between 3 May 2020 and 17 July this year, the SAMRC said in a report Wednesday. That’s about triple the official death toll of about 68 000 from the disease.
The number of excess deaths rose for a fifth week in South Africa to 10 000 in the week to 17 July as a third wave of infections continues to take hold in the country. That exceeded the peak of a first wave of infections in July last year but was below the 15 926 recorded at the peak of the second in January. — Reported by Antony Sguazzin, (c) 2021 Bloomberg LP