South Africa’s excess deaths surge as virus like ‘wildfire’

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa is seeing a “huge discrepancy” between confirmed COVID-19 deaths and much higher excess deaths from natural causes, while Africa’s top health official says the coronavirus is spreading there “like wildfire.” A new report by the South African Medical Research Council shows more than 17,000 excess deaths in South Africa from May 6 to July 14 as compared to data from the past two years, while confirmed COVID-19 deaths are 5,940. S