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 11 215 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 295 095. This increase represents a 29.3% positivity rate.
As per the National Department of Health, a further 183 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 66 859 to date.
14 243 586 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| Private | 7 982 707 | 56% | 19 098 | 50% |
| Public | 6 260 879 | 44% | 19 189 | 50% |
| Total | 14 243 586 | 38 287 | ||
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (39%), followed by Western Cape (19%). Limpopo and Mpumalanga each accounted for 9%; KwaZulu-Natal and North West each accounted for 7%; Eastern Cape accounted for 5%; Free State accounted for 3%; and Northern Cape 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 17 July 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 17 July 2021 | New cases on 18 July 2021 | Total cases for 18 July 2021 | Percentage total |
| Eastern Cape | 218 009 | 0 | 218 009 | 512 | 218 521 | 9.5 |
| Free State | 122 794 | 0 | 122 794 | 317 | 123 111 | 5.4 |
| Gauteng | 811 841 | 1 | 811 842 | 4 398 | 816 240 | 35.6 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 374 932 | 0 | 374 932 | 829 | 375 761 | 16.4 |
| Limpopo | 100 969 | 10 | 100 979 | 981 | 101 960 | 4.4 |
| Mpumalanga | 112 921 | -11 | 112 910 | 1 035 | 113 945 | 5.0 |
| North West | 116 763 | 2 | 116 765 | 765 | 117 530 | 5.1 |
| Northern Cape | 63 196 | -2 | 63 194 | 222 | 63 416 | 2.8 |
| Western Cape | 362 455 | 0 | 362 455 | 2 156 | 364 611 | 15.9 |
| Total | 2 283 880 | 0 | 2 283 880 | 11 215 | 2 295 095 | 100.0 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The total number of cases today (n= 11 215) is lower than yesterday (n= 14 701) and lower than the average number of new cases per day over the 7 preceding days (n= 14 214). 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 400 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 | 163 885 | 28 359 | 9 499 |
| Public | 409 | 175 803 | 41 592 | 7 320 |
| TOTAL | 666 | 339 688 | 69 951 | 16 819 |
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
