28 December 2021
Statement
LATEST CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-19 IN SOUTH AFRICA (28 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 7 216 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 424 534. This increase represents a 23.6% positivity rate.

As per the National Department of Health, a further 25 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 90 854 to date.

21 106 962 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.

Sector Total tested New tested
Private 11,388,711 54% 14,888 48.8%
Public 9,718,251 46% 15,641 51.2%
Total 21 106 962 30 529

PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN

The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal (28%), followed by Western Cape (25%).  Gauteng accounted for 22%; Eastern Cape accounted for 11%; Free State accounted for 4%; North West and Mpumalanga each accounted for 3%; Limpopo and Northern Cape each accounted for 2% of today’s new cases. The cumulative number of cases by province is shown in the table below:

Province Total cases for 27 December 2021 Adjusted numbers after harmonisation Updated total cases on 27 December 2021 New cases on 28 December 2021 Total cases for 28 December 2021 Percentage total
Eastern Cape 323164 0 323164 795 323959 9.5
Free State 187552 0 187552 258 187810 5.5
Gauteng 1126669 0 1126669 1616 1128285 32.9
KwaZulu-Natal 601496 0 601496 1990 603486 17.6
Limpopo 140230 0 140230 171 140401 4.1
Mpumalanga 175408 0 175408 191 175599 5.1
North West 177780 0 177780 227 178007 5.2
Northern Cape 101037 0 101037 151 101188 3.0
Western Cape 583982 0 583982 1817 585799 17.1
Total 3417318 0 3417318 7216 3424534 100.0

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

The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 23.6% which is higher than yesterday (22.0%). The 7-day average is 26.8% today, which is lower than yesterday (27.4%). 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 286 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 214713 37898 3132
Public 407 253598 58374 5801
TOTAL 666 468311 96272 8933

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.