The latest death toll was not announced as the figures were still being collated.

Mkhize was speaking in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape on Thursday after a visit to the province.

Despite having done significantly fewer tests than Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape has the third most Covid-19 cases in the country. By Thursday, it had 7,868 cases — behind only the Western Cape (37,422) and Gauteng (7,953)

According to figures released on Wednesday night, the Eastern Cape had the second-highest death toll, with 147 deaths. The Western Cape had 927.

This is a developing story.