The Eastern Cape has overtaken Gauteng as the province with the second highest number of coronavirus infections.

This is according to the latest statistics released by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Thursday.

The Western Cape accounts for 66.2% of cases at 27 006, the Eastern Cape 12.1% at 4 936 and Gauteng 11.9% at 4 845.

The national number of infections is 40 792, up by 3 267 from Wednesday, Mkhize confirmed.

On Wednesday, he said the Eastern Cape was showing the "same pattern that drove up the outbreak" in the Western Cape and that additional attention was being directed to the province to ensure it can "adequately respond to limit escalation of infection".

Another 56 people have died of Covid-19 - 54 in the Western Cape, one in KwaZulu-Natal and another in the Free State – bringing the total number of fatalities to 848 nationwide.

"The recoveries to date are 21 311. This translates to a recovery rate of 52.24%," Mkhize said.