24 October 2021
Statement

LATEST CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-19 IN SOUTH AFRICA (24 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 300 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 919 632. This increase represents a 1.4% positivity rate.

As per the National Department of Health, a further 11 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 88 925 to date.

18 364 359 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.

Sector Total tested New tested
PRIVATE 9,895,216 54% 12,792 59%
PUBLIC 8,469,143 46% 8,759 41%
Total 18,364,359 21,551

PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal (23%), followed by Gauteng Province and Western Cape (19% each). Northern Cape accounted for 10%; Eastern Cape accounted for 9%; North West and Mpumalanga accounted for 6% each; Free State accounted for 5%; and Limpopo accounted for 3% of today’s new cases.

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

Province Total cases for 23 October 2021 Adjusted numbers after harmonisation Updated total cases on 23 October 2021 New cases on 24 October 2021 Total cases for 24 October 2021 Percentage total
Eastern Cape 292163 0 292163 27 292190 10.0
Free State 163182 1 163183 14 163197 5.6
Gauteng 918894 1 918895 57 918952 31.5
KwaZulu-Natal 515164 0 515164 69 515233 17.6
Limpopo 122181 0 122181 9 122190 4.2
Mpumalanga 151785 0 151785 18 151803 5.2
North West 150486 -2 150484 18 150502 5.2
Northern Cape 92241 0 92241 31 92272 3.2
Western Cape 513236 0 513236 57 513293 17.6
Total 2919332 0 2919332 300 2919632 100.0

THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The total number of cases today (n=300) is lower than yesterday (n=449) and lower than the average number of cases per day over the 7 preceding days (n=434). 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 12 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 200483 37068 2507
Public 408 233334 56855 1751
TOTAL 666 433,817 93,923 4,258

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.