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 14 701 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 283 880. This increase represents a 29.1% positivity rate.
As per the National Department of Health, a further 291 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 66 676 to date.
14 205 299 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| Private | 7,963,609 | 56% | 23,925 | 47% |
| Public | 6,241,690 | 44% | 26,649 | 53% |
| Total | 14,205,299 | 50,574 | ||
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (43%), followed by Western Cape (16%). Limpopo accounted for 10%; North West accounted for 8%; KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga each accounted for 7%; Eastern Cape accounted for 5%; Free State accounted for 3%; and Northern Cape 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 16 July 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 16 July 2021 | New cases on 17 July 2021 | Total cases for 17 July 2021 | Percentage total |
| Eastern Cape | 217 331 | 0 | 217 331 | 678 | 218 009 | 9.5 |
| Free State | 122 417 | 1 | 122 418 | 376 | 122 794 | 5.4 |
| Gauteng | 805 478 | 6 | 805 484 | 6 357 | 811 841 | 35.5 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 373 874 | 3 | 373 877 | 1 055 | 374 932 | 16.4 |
| Limpopo | 99 519 | 19 | 99 538 | 1 431 | 100 969 | 4.4 |
| Mpumalanga | 111 852 | 4 | 111 856 | 1 065 | 112 921 | 4.9 |
| North West | 115 678 | -31 | 115 647 | 1 116 | 116 763 | 5.1 |
| Northern Cape | 62 999 | -3 | 62 996 | 200 | 63 196 | 2.8 |
| Western Cape | 360 031 | 1 | 360 032 | 2 423 | 362 455 | 15.9 |
| Total | 2 269 179 | 0 | 2 269 179 | 14 701 | 2 283 880 | 100.0 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The total number of cases today (n= 14 701) is lower than yesterday (n= 15 939) and lower than the average number of new cases per day over the 7 preceding days (n= 14 941).
The 7-day moving average daily number of cases has decreased
7-day moving average number of new cases by province and date of reporting, 12 April 2020 to date, South Africa.
For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.
HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
There has been an increase of 546 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 | 163 353 | 28 173 | 9 695 |
| Public | 409 | 175 473 | 41 508 | 7 259 |
| TOTAL | 666 | 338 826 | 69 681 | 16 954 |
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
