28 July 2021
Statement
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, continues the monitoring and surveillance of COVID-19 in order to inform the public health response.
Today the institute reports 17 351 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 408 525. This increase represents a 24.4% positivity rate.
As per the National Department of Health, a further 520 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 70 908 to date.
14 694 978 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| Private | 8 197 255 | 56% | 29 957 | 42% |
| Public | 6 497 723 | 44% | 41 104 | 58% |
| Total | 14 694 978 | 71 061 | ||
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (30%), followed by Western Cape (27%). KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 11%; Mpumalanga and North West each accounted for 7%; Limpopo accounted for 6%; Eastern Cape accounted for 5%; Free State accounted for 4%; and Northern Cape 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 July 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 27 July 2021 | New cases on 28 July 2021 | Total cases for 28 July 2021 | Percentage total |
| Eastern Cape | 224 708 | 0 | 224 708 | 946 | 225 654 | 9.4 |
| Free State | 126 927 | 0 | 126 927 | 655 | 127 582 | 5.3 |
| Gauteng | 847 043 | -45 | 846 998 | 5 204 | 852 202 | 35.4 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 387 464 | 1 | 387 465 | 1 975 | 389 440 | 16.2 |
| Limpopo | 108 774 | -22 | 108 752 | 955 | 109 707 | 4.6 |
| Mpumalanga | 121 015 | -21 | 120 994 | 1 248 | 122 242 | 5.1 |
| North West | 124 658 | 36 | 124 694 | 1 278 | 125 972 | 5.2 |
| Northern Cape | 65 629 | 0 | 65 629 | 423 | 66 052 | 2.7 |
| Western Cape | 385 005 | 2 | 385 007 | 4 667 | 389 674 | 16.2 |
| Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Total | 2 391 223 | -49 | 2 391 174 | 17 351 | 2 408 525 | 100.0 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The total number of cases today (n= 17 351) is higher than yesterday (n= 7 773) and higher than the average number of new cases per day over the 7 preceding days (n= 11 594). 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 726 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 | 257 | 172 551 | 30 593 | 8 605 |
| Public | 412 | 187 784 | 44 948 | 7 647 |
| TOTAL | 669 | 360 335 | 75 541 | 16 252 |
VACCINE UPDATE
For updates on the national vaccine programme, click here.
Thank you for your interest and remember that adhering to preventative measures limits your risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. For more information on COVID-19, click here.
Kind regards,
Sinenhlanhla Jimoh, Senior Communications Manager
National Institute for Communicable Diseases
