Cape Town - The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has urged members of the public to stop prank calling the Covid-19 public hotline number.

"We have recorded a high number of prank calls, and we wish to urge the public to desist from such behaviour as it takes away resources from those who need them the most," said the NICD in a statement released on Wednesday.

After the NICD has received 324 062 calls on the hotline number, it has added two additional hotline numbers.

Clinicians can now contact the new clinicians' hotline number on 0800 11 1131, which is reserved for doctors only. Members of the public can also call 0800 111 132. All the hotline numbers operate 24 hours a day.

NICD has called on people to only contact the hotline and get tested if they experience symptoms such as coughing, sneezing and fever and have travelled to high risk areas