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 591 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 917 846. This increase represents a 1.7% positivity rate.
As per the National Department of Health, a further 80 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 88 754 to date.
18 251 789 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| Private | 9 837 481 | 54% | 18 560 | 54% |
| Public | 8 414 308 | 46% | 15 617 | 46% |
| Total | 18 251 789 | 34 177 | ||
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal (22%), followed by Western Cape (21%). Free State and Gauteng Province each accounted for 12%; Eastern Cape, North West and Northern Cape each accounted for 9% respectively; Mpumalanga accounted for 5%; and Limpopo accounted for 1% of today’s new cases.
The cumulative number of cases by province is shown in the table below:
| Province | Total cases for 19 October 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 19 October 2021 | New cases on 20 October 2021 | Total cases for 20 October 2021 | Percentage total |
| Eastern Cape | 292005 | 1 | 292006 | 56 | 292062 | 10.0 |
| Free State | 162892 | -1 | 162891 | 68 | 162959 | 5.6 |
| Gauteng | 918631 | 0 | 918631 | 71 | 918702 | 31.5 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 514726 | -1 | 514725 | 129 | 514854 | 17.6 |
| Limpopo | 122135 | 1 | 122136 | 7 | 122143 | 4.2 |
| Mpumalanga | 151646 | 0 | 151646 | 32 | 151678 | 5.2 |
| North West | 150323 | 0 | 150323 | 53 | 150376 | 5.2 |
| Northern Cape | 92043 | 0 | 92043 | 51 | 92094 | 3.2 |
| Western Cape | 512854 | 0 | 512854 | 124 | 512978 | 17.6 |
| Total | 2917255 | 0 | 2917255 | 591 | 2917846 | 100.0 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 1.7% which is higher than yesterday (1.6%). The 7-day average is 2.0% today, which is lower than yesterday (2.1%). 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 46 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 | 200,306 | 36,963 | 2,851 |
| Public | 408 | 233,083 | 56,776 | 1,926 |
| TOTAL | 666 | 433,389 | 93,739 | 4,777 |
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.
Kind regards,
Sinenhlanhla Jimoh, Senior Communications Manager
National Institute for Communicable Diseases
