Pretoria, July 20 (RHC)-- South Africa now ranks fifth in the world for confirmed coronavirus cases as the African continent faces the pandemic's first wave head-on, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.

South Africa on Saturday reported 13,285 new confirmed cases for a total of 350,879. That puts the country ahead of Peru, and accounts for roughly half the cases in Africa.

Gauteng province, home to Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria, is now Africa's epicentre for the virus. It has one-quarter of the country's population and many of the poor are crowded in township areas with inadequate access to clean water and sanitation.

South Africa has seen 4,948 reported virus deaths, but the South African Medical Research Council in its most recent report shows the country had 10,944 "excess deaths" between May 6 and July 7.