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 7 773 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 391 223. This increase represents a 21.2% positivity rate.
As per the National Department of Health, a further 370 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 70 388 to date.
14 623 917 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| Private | 8,167,298 | 56% | 19,124 | 52% |
| Public | 6,456,619 | 44% | 17,597 | 48% |
| Total | 14,623,917 | 36,721 | ||
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (30%), followed by Western Cape (20%). KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 16%; Eastern Cape accounted for 10%; North West accounted for 7%; Limpopo accounted for 6%; Mpumalanga and Free State each accounted for 5%; 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 26 July 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 26 July 2021 | New cases on 27 July 2021 | Total cases for 27 July 2021 |
| Eastern Cape | 223 935 | 0 | 223 935 | 773 | 224 708 |
| Free State | 126 542 | 1 | 126 543 | 384 | 126 927 |
| Gauteng | 844 746 | -27 | 844 719 | 2 324 | 847 043 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 386 217 | 1 | 386 218 | 1 246 | 387 464 |
| Limpopo | 108 343 | -24 | 108 319 | 455 | 108 774 |
| Mpumalanga | 120 632 | -14 | 120 618 | 397 | 121 015 |
| North West | 124 115 | 23 | 124 138 | 520 | 124 658 |
| Northern Cape | 65 535 | 0 | 65 535 | 94 | 65 629 |
| Western Cape | 383 425 | 0 | 383 425 | 1580 | 385 005 |
| Total | 2 383 490 | -40 | 2 383 450 | 7 773 | 2 391 223 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The total number of cases today (n= 7 773) is higher than yesterday (n= 5 683) and lower than the average number of new cases per day over the 7 preceding days (n= 11 435). The 7-day moving average daily number of cases has decreased.
HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.
There has been an increase of 650 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 | 171 618 | 30 368 | 8 682 |
| Public | 412 | 186 440 | 44 538 | 7 759 |
| TOTAL | 669 | 358 058 | 74 906 | 16 441 |
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
