Two hundred and ninety-eight more people have died in South Africa after contracting the coronavirus, pushing the national death toll to over 7,000.

Over 7,000 new infections have been confirmed in the last 24-hour cycle, taking the country’s total number of known cases since March to more than 452,000.

On the positive front, the recovery rate is now over 60% for the first time in months.

There is one promising statistic amid the rising death toll: the Health Ministry says the recovery rate has shot up to 61%.

Watch video downloading below.