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 687 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2,929,862. This increase represents a 3.4% positivity rate. As per the National Department of Health, a further 2 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 89,574 to date.
19,113,226 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| Private | 10,297,565 | 53.9% | 11,659 | 57.5% |
| Public | 8,815,661 | 46.1% | 8,633 | 42.5% |
| Total | 19,113,226 | 100.0% | 20,292 | 100.0% |
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (79%), followed by North West and KwaZulu-Natal each accounting for 5% respectively. Mpumalanga and Western Cape each accounted for 3% respectively; Northern Cape accounted for 2%; and Eastern Cape, Free State and Limpopo each accounted for 1% respectively of today’s new cases. The cumulative number of cases by province is shown in the table below:
| Province | Total cases for 20 Nov 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 20 Nov 2021 | New cases on 21 Nov 2021 | Total cases for 21 Nov 2021 | Percentage total |
| Eastern Cape | 292,678 | 0 | 292,678 | 8 | 292,686 | 10,0 |
| Free State | 163,988 | 0 | 163,988 | 6 | 163,994 | 5,6 |
| Gauteng | 922,834 | 0 | 922,834 | 545 | 923,379 | 31,5 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 516,439 | 0 | 516,439 | 31 | 516,470 | 17,6 |
| Limpopo | 122,443 | 0 | 122,443 | 7 | 122,450 | 4,2 |
| Mpumalanga | 152,377 | 0 | 152,377 | 18 | 152,395 | 5,2 |
| North West | 151,006 | 0 | 151,006 | 32 | 151,038 | 5,2 |
| Northern Cape | 92,980 | 0 | 92,980 | 17 | 92,997 | 3,2 |
| *Western Cape | 514,430 | 0 | 514,430 | 23 | 514,453 | 17,6 |
| Total | 2,929,175 | 0 | 292,9175 | 687 | 2,929,862 | 100,0 |
*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 3.4% which is higher than yesterday (2.8%). The 7-day average is 2.0% today, which is higher than yesterday (1.7%).
For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.
HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
There has been an increase of 13 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 | 258 | 200,677 | 37,332 | 1,200 |
| Public | 408 | 235,542 | 57,139 | 1,505 |
| TOTAL | 666 | 436,219 | 94,471 | 2,705 |
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
