South Africa has become the first country on the African continent to register more than one million Covid-19 cases.
It comes just days after authorities confirmed that a new, faster-spreading, coronavirus variant had been detected.
Some hospitals and medical centres have reported a huge rise in admissions, putting a heavy strain on resources.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to announce tougher restrictions to prevent the virus from spreading further.
The latest milestone was announced yesterday by South Africa’s Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize.
The country has now confirmed 1,004,413 Covid-19 infections and 26,735 deaths since the outbreak began in March.