05 January 2022
Statement

LATEST CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-19 IN SOUTH AFRICA (5 January 2022)

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, continues to provide laboratory-based surveillance to inform the public health response towards COVID-19 in South Africa.

Today the institute reports 11 106 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 494 696. This increase represents a 22.2% positivity rate.

As per the National Department of Health, a further 110 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 91 561 to date.

21 394 263 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.

Sector Total tested New tested
Private 11,548,747 54% 28,022 56.1%
Public 9,845,516 46% 21,948 43.9%
Total 21,394,263 49,970

PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN

The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape (26% each), followed by Gauteng (19%). Eastern Cape accounted for 11%; Free State accounted for 5%; North West accounted for 4%; Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape each accounted for 3% respectively of today’s new cases. The cumulative number of cases by province is shown in the table below:

Province Total cases for 04 January 2022 Adjusted numbers after harmonisation Updated total cases on 04 January 2022 New cases on 05 January 2022 Total cases for 05 January 2022 Percentage total
Eastern Cape 330871 0 330871 1228 332099 9.5
Free State 190794 0 190794 514 191308 5.5
Gauteng 1139446 3 1139449 2156 1141605 32.7
KwaZulu-Natal 618948 0 618948 2863 621811 17.8
Limpopo 142435 -1 142434 375 142809 4.1
Mpumalanga 177891 -2 177889 372 178261 5.1
North West 179985 1 179986 405 180391 5.2
Northern Cape 102793 -4 102789 359 103148 3.0
Western Cape 600427 3 600430 2834 603264 17.3
Total 3483590 0 3483590 11106 3494696 100.0

THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE

The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 22.2% which is higher than yesterday (20.1%). The 7-day average is 23.7% today, which is lower than yesterday (24.3%). 7-day moving average daily number of cases has decreased.

For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.

HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS

There has been an increase of 349 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours. The following table is a summary of reported COVID-19 admissions by sector.

Sector Facilities Reporting Admissions
to Date
Died to Date Currently Admitted
Private 259 218303 38162 3282
Public 407 259639 59100 5605
TOTAL 666 477942 97262 8887

VACCINE UPDATE

For updates on the national vaccine programme, click here.

Thank you for your interest and remember that adhering to the following preventative measures helps to limit your risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19:

  • Getting vaccinated for COVID-19
  • Wearing your mask properly to cover your nose
  • Opting to gather in ventilated spaces
  • Avoid unnecessary gatherings
  • Keeping a social distance of one meter or more
  • Washing your hands regularly in the day with soap and water

For more information on COVID-19, click here.