South Africa recorded a spike in coronavirus cases in the country in the late hours of Tuesday, as 31 new cases have now been confirmed. 

In the early hours of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Africa stood at 85.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has now confirmed there are 116 confirmed positive cases in the country, out of which there are 14 local transmissions. 

In a statement he issued, Mkhize disclosed they have collated background information on how these patients were infected.

He said; 

“Today we have a further increase of six local transmission cases. As part of tracking and tracing, we have collated background information on how these patients were infected. We will provide more information to the public to make them aware of how these local transmissions occur.

"We will however not disclose full details as this information is subject to patient confidentiality which we are bound by. 

"I must inform the public that there was a debate with clinicians, epidemiologists [and] virologists on when we, as government must release results to the public. These experts raised an issue of an ethical obligation to immediately alert patients as soon as the results become available.

"This therefore means that by the time a confirmation test is conducted in public laboratories, patients would have been notified of their initial results. This clarification is important because as government, we had announced to the public that all positive results will be verified through our public laboratories and the NICD. 

"In instances where our confirmation tests give contrary results, we will inform the public, make reference to that specific result previously announced and give the outcome of the confirmation results"

Among the new cases in the country is a 2-year-old boy from the Western Cape who has not travelled internationally. This is the youngest confirmed case.

Here are information about other confirmed cases below; 

-A 45 year-old male who had travelled to Belgium, UK, France and the US

-A 37 year-old male who had travelled to the UK

-A 54 year-old female who had travelled to the USA

-A 52 year-old male who had travelled to the UK

-A 25 year-old male who travelled to the UK

-A 52 year-old female who had travelled to Italy

-A 59 year-old male who travelled to the UK and Dubai

-A 57 year-old male who travelled to the USA

-A 60 year-old male who travelled to the USA

-A 37 year-old female who travelled to Italy and Dubai

-A 21 year-old female with no travel history

-A 34 year-old male with no international travel history

-A 26 year-old female with no international travel history

-A 32 year-old female with no international travel history

 

There are four new cases in KwaZulu-Natal:

-A 48 year-old male who travelled to Dubai

-A 59 year-old female with no international travel history

-A 5 year-old male with no international travel history

-A 3 year-old male with no international travel history

 

There are five new cases in the Western Cape:

-A 3 year-old male who travelled to the UK

-A 58 year-old male who travelled to the UK and Austria

-A 2 year-old male with no international travel

-A 62 year-old female who travelled to the UK and Ethiopia

-A 71 year-old female who travelled to the UK