07 December 2021
Statement

LATEST CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-19 IN SOUTH AFRICA (7 December 2021)

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 13 147 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 051 222. This increase represents a 24.9% positivity rate.

As per the National Department of Health, a further 27 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 90 002 to date.

19 838 883 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.

Sector Total tested New tested
Private 10,685,151 53.9% 33,141 62.7%
Public 9,153,732 46.1% 19,749 37.3%
Total 19,838,883   52,890  

PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN

The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (64%), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (11%). Western Cape accounted for 6%; North West accounted for 5%; Mpumalanga accounted for 4%; Eastern Cape, Free State and Limpopo each accounted for 3% respectively; and Northern Cape accounted for 1% of today’s new cases. The cumulative number of cases by province is shown in the table below:

Province Total cases for 06 December 2021 Adjusted numbers after harmonisation Updated total cases on 06 December 2021 New cases on 07 December 2021 Total cases for 07 December 2021 Percentage total
Eastern Cape 294424 0 294424 390 294814 9.7
Free State 166984 0 166984 352 167336 5.5
Gauteng 996911 4 996915 8445 1005360 32.9
KwaZulu-Natal 522921 0 522921 1396 524317 17.2
Limpopo 126090 -7 126083 406 126489 4.1
Mpumalanga 156929 2 156931 545 157476 5.2
North West 157143 1 157144 720 157864 5.2
Northern Cape 93739 0 93739 88 93827 3.1
Western Cape 522934 0 522934 805 523739 17.2
Total 3038075 0 3038075 13147 3051222 100.0

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

The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 24.9% which is lower than yesterday (26.4%). The 7-day average is 23.2% today, which is higher than yesterday (21.1%). The 7-day moving average daily number of cases has increased.

For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.

HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS

There has been an increase of 383 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 258 203189 37419 1902
Public 407 238777 57348 1896
TOTAL 665 441966 94767 3798

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.