South Africa's new coronavirus cases surge to record levels

South Africa’s resurgence of COVID-19 is setting record numbers of new daily cases, centered in Johannesburg and driven by the delta variant that was first found in India

JOHANNESBURG -- South Africa's resurgence of COVID-19 is setting record numbers of new daily cases, centered in Johannesburg and driven by the delta variant, health officials said Sunday. More than 26,000 new cases were reported on Saturday, up from 24,000 the previous day, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, surpassing the highest number of new cases in previous waves and quickly bringing many hospitals to capacity. More than 13,800 COVID-19 patients are currently in South African hospitals where some facilities are canceling elective surgeries to free up beds and health care workers. South Africa's official death toll has risen above 63,000, although statistics on excess deaths suggest the country's actual number of virus fatalities may be more than 170,000. South Africa's 2 million cases account for more than 30% of the cases reported by Africa's 54 countries, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.