LATEST CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-19 IN SOUTH AFRICA (19 November 2021)

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 789 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2,928,288. This increase represents a 2.8% positivity rate. As per the National Department of Health, a further COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 89,562 to date.

19,061,166 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.

SectorTotal testedNew tested
Private10,270,97853.9%14,70351.6%
Public8,790,18846.1%13,80148.4%
Total19,061,166 100.0%28,504 100.0%

PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN

The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (65%), followed by Northern Cape (7%). North West and Western Cape each accounted for 6% respectively; KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 5%; Mpumalanga accounted for 4%; Free State accounted for 3%; Eastern Cape and Limpopo each accounted for 2% respectively of today’s new cases. The cumulative number of cases by province is shown in the table below:

 ProvinceTotal cases for 18  Nov 2021Adjusted numbers after harmonisationUpdated total cases on 18 Nov 2021New cases on 19 Nov 2021Total cases for 19 Nov 2021Percentage total
Eastern Cape292,6440292,64419292,66310,0
Free State163,9570163,95722163,9795,6
Gauteng921,7400921,740509922,24931,5
KwaZulu-Natal516,3540516,35443516,39717,6
Limpopo122,4050122,40517122,4224,2
Mpumalanga152,3150152,31528152,3435,2
North West150,9340150,93446150,9805,2
Northern Cape92,816092,8165992,8753,2
*Western Cape514,3340514,33446514,38017,6
Total2,927,49902,927,4997892,928,288100,0

*There may be discrepancies in the numbers of cases and recoveries reported for the Western Cape, as the Western Cape reporting currently includes re-infections and additional cases identified by antigen tests, which are not incorporated into the national line list for reporting. As a result, the number of recoveries for the Western Cape has been kept static on the national reports. We are working with Western Cape health authorities to align the reporting and resolve these discrepancies.

THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 2.8% which is higher than yesterday (1.7%).The 7-day average is 1.4% today, which is higher than yesterday (1.2%).

For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.

HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
There has been an increase of 38 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours. The following table is a summary of reported COVID-19 admissions by sector.

SectorFacilities ReportingAdmissions
to Date
Died to DateCurrently Admitted
Private258200,81737,3261,415
Public408235,50157,1361,480
TOTAL666436,31894,4622,895

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

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