Dozens of military medics were deployed to help combat the coronavirus pandemic in South Africa's third most affected province, where there has been a surge in infections, AFP reported.

The deployment to East Cape province comes a day after South Africa recorded more than 10,800 new Covid-19 cases, its biggest single-day jump during the pandemic, taking the cumulative infections to 187,977.

“The province is not coping. They have personnel and equipment problems,” defence force spokesman Thabo Sello, told AFP.