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 14 728 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 638 981. This increase represents a 22.1% positivity rate. As per the National Department of Health, a further 384 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 78 377 to date.
15 752 534 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| PRIVATE | 8 685 438 | 55% | 33 202 | 50% |
| PUBLIC | 7 067 096 | 45% | 33 443 | 50% |
| Total | 15 752 534 | 66 645 | ||
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from Western Cape (27%), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (25%). Eastern Cape accounted for 13%; Gauteng accounted for 12%; Free State accounted for 7%; Mpumalanga and North West accounted for 5% each; Northern Cape accounted for 4%; and Limpopo accounted for 3% of today’s new cases.
“Nationally we are seeing a decrease in the number of new daily cases and percent testing positive, however there are some differences in trends at a provincial level,” comments NICD Acting Executive Director, Prof Adrian Puren. He adds that while sustained decreases in case numbers in Gauteng, Limpopo, North West and Mpumalanga provinces have been observed, the other five provinces have either increasing or sustained number of new cases. “The Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces still appear to be on the upward slope of the third wave, although the Western Cape is showing early signs of reaching the peak of their third wave. Whereas the Free State and Northern Cape provinces continue to see a steady number of new cases.”
The cumulative number of cases by province is shown in the table below:
| Province | Total cases for 17 August 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 17 August 2021 | New cases on 18 August 2021 | Total cases for 18 August 2021 | Percentage total |
| Eastern Cape | 246 241 | 0 | 246 241 | 1 877 | 248 118 | 9,4 |
| Free State | 138 068 | 1 | 138 069 | 995 | 139 064 | 5,3 |
| Gauteng | 890 969 | 9 | 890 978 | 1 756 | 892 734 | 33,8 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 435 035 | 1 | 435 036 | 3 750 | 438 786 | 16,6 |
| Limpopo | 116 735 | 5 | 116 740 | 429 | 117 169 | 4,4 |
| Mpumalanga | 136 641 | 2 | 136 643 | 746 | 137 389 | 5,2 |
| North West | 137 039 | -18 | 137 021 | 673 | 137 694 | 5,2 |
| Northern Cape | 74 030 | -3 | 74 027 | 571 | 74 598 | 2,8 |
| Western Cape | 449 496 | 2 | 449 498 | 3 931 | 453 429 | 17,2 |
| Total | 2 624 254 | -1 | 2 624 253 | 14 728 | 2 638 981 | 100,0 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The total number of cases today (n= 14 728) is higher than yesterday (n= 10 685) and higher than the average number of new cases per day over the 7 preceding days (n= 12 107).
The 7-day moving average daily number of cases has increased.
For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.
HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
There has been an increase of 575 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 | 255 | 185 672 | 33 635 | 6 873 |
| Public | 409 | 206 183 | 50 084 | 7 056 |
| TOTAL | 664 | 391 855 | 83 719 | 13 929 |
VACCINE UPDATE
For updates on the national vaccine programme, click here.
“While many may feel that the third wave is abating based on the national picture, adherence to the current adjusted level 3 restrictions and preventative measures remain essential,” says Dr Michelle Groome, Head of the Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response at the NICD says. She stresses that vaccination is key as we look towards the end of the third wave and mitigation of a fourth wave in the latter part of the year. “Vaccine supply and the number of vaccination sites have increased and it is up to the public to ensure that they present for vaccination.”
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
