South Africa became the first African country to surpass 1 million COVID-19 cases, with a surge linked to a new fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus, authorities announced Sunday. This variant of the coronavirus is separate from the one responsible for an uptick in cases in the United Kingdom, according to the BBC. The country’s hospitals are approaching capacity, according to the Associated Press, and President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to announce new restrictions as the seven-day rolling average of cases has nearly doubled over the past week.
