Mpumalanga has recorded its first Covid-19 death as current cases neared 50 000 and deaths creep closer to the 1 000 mark.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize released the daily statistics on Sunday evening, which saw an increase of 2 312 infections, taking the number of cases to 48 285.

Total recoveries hovered at 24 364, meaning 50.5% of cases were no longer active.

The number of Covid-19-related deaths on Sunday night was 998 - which included the one in Mpumalanga.

Of all deaths so far, 27.2% were aged 60 to 69, 25% were 50 to 59, 18.6% were 70 to 79, 11% were 40 to 49, 8.2% were 80 to 89, 5.3% were 30 to 39, 2.2% were 90 to 99, 1.1% were 20 to 29, and 0.5% were 0 to 19.