31 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 12 528 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 447 454. This increase represents a 22.3% positivity rate.
As per the National Department of Health, a further 334 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 72 013 to date.
14 862 859 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| Private | 8 272 858 | 56% | 25 319 | 45% |
| Public | 6 590 001 | 44% | 30 924 | 55% |
| Total | 14 862 859 | 56 243 | ||
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from Western Cape (27%), followed by Gauteng (22%). KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 18%; Mpumalanga accounted for 8%; Eastern Cape accounted for 7%; North West accounted for 6%; with Free State, Limpopo and Northern Cape each accounting for 4% of today’s new cases
The cumulative number of cases by province is shown in the table below:
| Province | Total cases for 30 July 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 30 July 2021 | New cases on 31 July 2021 | Total cases for 31 July 2021 | Percentage total |
| Eastern Cape | 227455 | -9 | 227446 | 845 | 228291 | 9,3 |
| Free State | 128684 | 2 | 128686 | 515 | 129201 | 5,3 |
| Gauteng | 858873 | -97 | 858776 | 2763 | 861539 | 35,2 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 393283 | -11 | 393272 | 2289 | 395561 | 16,2 |
| Limpopo | 110978 | -28 | 110950 | 487 | 111437 | 4,6 |
| Mpumalanga | 124131 | 8 | 124139 | 1025 | 125164 | 5,1 |
| North West | 127410 | 26 | 127436 | 718 | 128154 | 5,2 |
| Northern Cape | 67024 | -3 | 67021 | 473 | 67494 | 2,8 |
| Western Cape | 397198 | 2 | 397200 | 3413 | 400613 | 16,4 |
| Total | 2435036 | -110 | 2434926 | 12528 | 2447454 | 100,0 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The total number of cases today
(n= 12 528) is lower than yesterday (n= 13 025) but higher than the average number of new cases per day over the 7 preceding days (n= 11 404). 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 348 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours, a decrease from yesterday’s new hospital admissions. 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 | 174 805 | 31 103 | 8 251 |
| Public | 412 | 190 200 | 45 746 | 7 672 |
| TOTAL | 669 | 365 005 | 76 849 | 15 923 |
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
