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 8 791 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases 2 456 184. This increase represents a 23.0% positivity rate.
As per the National Department of Health, a further 178 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 72 191 to date.
14 901 093 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| PRIVATE | 8 292 745 | 56% | 19 887 | 52% |
| PUBLIC | 6 608 348 | 44% | 18 347 | 48% |
| Total | 14 901 093 | 38 234 | ||
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from Western Cape (27%), followed by Gauteng (23%). KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 20%; Mpumalanga accounted for 9%; Eastern Cape and North West accounted for 5% each; Free State and Limpopo accounted for 4% each; and Northern Cape accounted for 3% of today’s new cases.
The cumulative number of cases by province is shown in the table below:
| Province | Total cases for 31 July 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 31 July 2021 | New cases on 01 August 2021 | Total cases for 01 August 2021 | Percentage total | |
| Eastern Cape | 228291 | -8 | 228283 | 478 | 228761 | 9,3 | |
| Free State | 129201 | -4 | 129197 | 373 | 129570 | 5,3 | |
| Gauteng | 861539 | -46 | 861493 | 2040 | 863533 | 35,2 | |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 395561 | 6 | 395567 | 1796 | 397363 | 16,2 | |
| Limpopo | 111437 | 24 | 111461 | 323 | 111784 | 4,6 | |
| Mpumalanga | 125164 | -10 | 125154 | 787 | 125941 | 5,1 | |
| North West | 128154 | -30 | 128124 | 432 | 128556 | 5,2 | |
| Northern Cape | 67494 | 4 | 67498 | 229 | 67727 | 2,8 | |
| Western Cape | 400613 | 3 | 400616 | 2333 | 402949 | 16,4 | |
| Total | 2447454 | -61 | 2447393 | 8791 | 2456184 | 100,0 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The total number of cases today (n= 8 791) is lower than yesterday (n=12 528) and lower than the average number of new cases per day over the 7 preceding days (n= 11 272). 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 204 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 | 175 103 | 31 262 | 7 963 |
| Public | 412 | 190 279 | 45 762 | 7 678 |
| TOTAL | 669 | 365 382 | 77 024 | 15 641 |
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
