The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the North West as of Thursday was 2 965, the provincial Department of Health said on Friday.

The province has also recorded 421 recoveries and five deaths.

North West's positive cases make up 2.5% of the country's total. It has the fifth most cases in the country, after the Western Cape, Gauteng, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

The Rustenburg municipality, which was earlier identified as a hotspot in the province, had so far recorded 1 682 cases and 203 recoveries, department spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane said.

"Allocation and verification of Covid-19 confirmed cases in the North West province is an ongoing process. The Department of Health will continuously allocate cases after verification to a specific and appropriate location within a particular municipality," said Lekgethwane.