• The WHO says South Africa reached out to the organisation through strength - not weakness.
• The organisation's director-general commended South Africa for a significant reduction in cases and deaths.
• He said they hoped efforts would lead to a decline in cases.

World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus has commended South Africa for the significant reduction in the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in the country.

In a briefing on Monday, Ghebreyesus said: "South Africa is doing its best. We know it is very complicated but it is doing its best and we are very glad to partner and send our colleagues there to work with [the country] and it's an honour for us to support any country.

"With the current trend, we hope to further push it to a decline and further control the pandemic."

"I would like to thank the leadership of the president, [Cyril] Ramaphosa, not only in South Africa but in the whole continent, by helping to develop the continental strategy; one continental strategy and helping the continent to move as one," he added.

The organisation said South Africa reached out to it through strength - not weakness.

"In many ways, South Africa reached out to the WHO, not through weakness, but through strength in recognising that it had a complex outbreak in its hands and not that it needed the help of [the] WHO [but] what they wanted to do was to be able to work with the WHO to identify areas in which things could be done better," executive director, Dr Michael Ryan said.

The WHO sent 43 senior experts from across the globe to South Africa to assist it in the pandemic.

News24 earlier reported that the team of experts included Ryan and infectious disease epidemiologist and public health expert, Dr David Heymann.

"Dr Mike Ryan will lead the team from Geneva and will... provide us with constant advice while analysing our strategies, including the decisions we have taken as the Department of Health in our Covid-19 response," Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize said at the time.

On Monday, South Africa had 639 362 confirmed cases of Covid-19, 566 555 recoveries and 15 004 deaths.

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