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 16,080 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3,292,609. This increase represents a 28.8% positivity rate. As per the National Department of Health, a further 48 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 90,345 to date.
20,640,434 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| Private | 11,119,959 | 53.9% | 29,432 | 52.8% |
| Public | 9,520,475 | 46.1% | 26,310 | 47.2% |
| Total | 20,640,434 | 100.0% | 55,742 | 100.0% |
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal (26%), followed by Gauteng (21%). Western Cape accounted for 18%; Eastern Cape accounted for 10%; North West accounted for 8%; Free State accounted for 7%; Mpumalanga accounted for 4%; Limpopo and Northern Cape each accounted for 3% respectively of today’s new cases. The cumulative number of cases by province are shown in the table below:
| Province | Total cases for 17 December 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 17 December 2021 | New cases on 18 December 2021 | Total cases for 18 December 2021 | Percentage total |
| Eastern Cape | 308,552 | 0 | 308,552 | 1,566 | 310,118 | 9,4 |
| Free State | 179,051 | 1 | 179,052 | 1,060 | 180,112 | 5,5 |
| Gauteng | 1,098,402 | 38 | 1,098,440 | 3,430 | 1,101,870 | 33,5 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 565,096 | 1 | 565,097 | 4,202 | 569,299 | 17,3 |
| Limpopo | 135,227 | 7 | 135,234 | 498 | 135,732 | 4,1 |
| Mpumalanga | 169,123 | 2 | 169,125 | 624 | 169,749 | 5,2 |
| North West | 170,319 | -50 | 170,269 | 1,294 | 171,563 | 5,2 |
| Northern Cape | 97,353 | 0 | 97,353 | 447 | 97,800 | 3,0 |
| Western Cape | 553,406 | 1 | 553,407 | 2,959 | 556,366 | 16,9 |
| Total | 3,276,529 | 0 | 3,276,529 | 16,080 | 3,292,609 | 100,0 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 28.8% which is lower than yesterday (30.4%). The 7-day average is 31.0% today, which is higher than yesterday (29.2%).
For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.
HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
There has been an increase of 215 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 | 259 | 209,062 | 37,586 | 3,133 |
| Public | 407 | 245,953 | 57,736 | 4,782 |
| TOTAL | 666 | 455,015 | 95,322 | 7,915 |
VACCINE UPDATE
For updates on the national vaccine programme, click here.
Thank you for your interest and remember that adhering to the following preventative measures helps to limit your risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19.
- 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
- Washing your hands regularly in the day with soap and water
For more information on COVID-19, click here.
Kind regards,
Sinenhlanhla Jimoh, Senior Communications Manager
National Institute for Communicable Diseases
