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 10,685 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2,624,254. This increase represents a 20.4% positivity rate. As per the National Department of Health, a further 553 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 77 993 to date.
15 685 889 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| PRIVATE | 8 652 236 | 55% | 20 974 | 40% |
| PUBLIC | 7 033 653 | 45% | 31 293 | 60% |
| Total | 15 685 889 | 52 267 | ||
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from WC (26%), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (21%). Eastern Cape accounted for 17%; Gauteng accounted for 11%; Free State, Mpumalanga and NC accounted for 6% each; North West accounted for 5%; and Limpopo 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 16 August 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 16 August 2021 | New cases on 17 August 2021 | Total cases for 17 August 2021 | Percentage total | |
| Eastern Cape | 244 410 | 0 | 244 410 | 1 831 | 246 241 | 9,4 | |
| Free State | 137 431 | 0 | 137431 | 637 | 138 068 | 5,3 | |
| Gauteng | 889 777 | -29 | 889 748 | 1 221 | 890 969 | 34,0 | |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 432 744 | 3 | 432 747 | 2 288 | 435 035 | 16,6 | |
| Limpopo | 116 520 | 0 | 116 520 | 215 | 116 735 | 4,4 | |
| Mpumalanga | 136 037 | 1 | 136 038 | 603 | 136 641 | 5,2 | |
| North West | 136 531 | 23 | 136 554 | 485 | 137 039 | 5,2 | |
| Northern Cape | 73 370 | 0 | 73 370 | 660 | 74 030 | 2,8 | |
| Western Cape | 446 749 | 2 | 446 751 | 2745 | 449 496 | 17,1 | |
| Total | 2 613 569 | 0 | 2 613 569 | 10 685 | 2 624 254 | 100,0 | |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The total number of cases today (n= 10 685) is higher than yesterday (n= 7 983) and lower than the average number of new cases per day over the 7 preceding days (n=11 075).
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 526 (an increase compared to yesterday’s 331) 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 | 185 044 | 33 506 | 6 879 |
| Public | 411 | 204 807 | 49 756 | 7 001 |
| TOTAL | 668 | 389 851 | 83 262 | 13 880 |
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
