23 October 2021

Statement

LATEST CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-19 IN SOUTH AFRICA (23 October 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 449 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 919 332. This increase represents a 1.6% positivity rate.

As per the National Department of Health, a further 23 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 88 914 to date.

 

18 342 808  tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.

 

Sector Total tested New tested
PRIVATE 9,882,424 54% 14,421 51%
PUBLIC 8,460,384 46% 13,775 49%
Total 18,342,808   28,196  

 

PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN

The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal (20%), followed by Western Cape (18%). Free State accounted for 15%; Gauteng Province and Northern Cape each accounted for 10%; North West accounted for 9%; Mpumalanga accounted for 8%; Eastern Cape accounted for 6%; and Limpopo accounted for 4% of today’s new cases.

The cumulative number of cases by province is shown in the table below:  

Province Total cases for 22 October 2021 Adjusted numbers after harmonisation Updated total cases on 22 October 2021 New cases on 23 October 2021 Total cases for 23 October 2021 Percentage total
Eastern Cape 292137 0 292137 26 292163 10.0
Free State 163114 1 163115 67 163182 5.6
Gauteng 918847 0 918847 47 918894 31.5
KwaZulu-Natal 515075 1 515076 88 515164 17.6
Limpopo 122162 0 122162 19 122181 4.2
Mpumalanga 151747 0 151747 38 151785 5.2
North West 150450 -3 150447 39 150486 5.2
Northern Cape 92197 1 92198 43 92241 3.2
Western Cape 513154 0 513154 82 513236 17.6
Total 2918883 0 2918883 449 2919332 100.0

THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 1.6% which is lower than yesterday (1.7%). The 7-day average is 1.6% today, which is lower than yesterday (1.7%)The 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 32 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 258 200,449 37,055 2,535
Public 408 233.323 56,852 1,761
TOTAL 666 433,691 93,907 4,296

 

VACCINE UPDATE
For updates on the national vaccine programme, click here.

Thank you for your interest and remember that adhering to preventative measures such as

  • 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, and
  • Washing your hands regularly in the day with soap and water,

helps to limit your risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19.

For more information on COVID-19, click here.