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 8 078 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 483 590. This increase represents a 20.1% positivity rate.
As per the National Department of Health, a further 139 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 91 451 to date.
21 344 293 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| Private | 11,520,725 | 54.0% | 23,004 | 57.4% |
| Public | 9,823,568 | 46.0% | 17,101 | 42.6% |
| Total | 21 344 293 | 40,105 | ||
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal (28%) followed by Western Cape (22%). Gauteng accounted for 19%; Eastern Cape accounted for 13%; Free State accounted for 5%; Limpopo accounted for 4%; Mpumalanga and North West each accounted for 3% respectively; and Northern Cape accounted for 2% of today’s new cases. See table below:
| Province | Total cases for 03 January 2022 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 03 January 2022 | New cases on 04 January 2022 | Total cases for 04 January 2022 | Percentage total |
| Eastern Cape | 329805 | 5 | 329810 | 1061 | 330871 | 9.5 |
| Free State | 190411 | 0 | 190411 | 383 | 190794 | 5.5 |
| Gauteng | 1137868 | 29 | 1137897 | 1549 | 1139446 | 32.7 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 616684 | -17 | 616667 | 2281 | 618948 | 17.8 |
| Limpopo | 142106 | 2 | 142108 | 327 | 142435 | 4.1 |
| Mpumalanga | 177615 | 5 | 177620 | 271 | 177891 | 5.1 |
| North West | 179743 | -36 | 179707 | 278 | 179985 | 5.2 |
| Northern Cape | 102626 | 4 | 102630 | 163 | 102793 | 3.0 |
| Western Cape | 598654 | 8 | 598662 | 1765 | 600427 | 17.2 |
| Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Total | 3475512 | 0 | 3475512 | 8078 | 3483590 | 100.0 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The number of cases today (n= 8 078) is higher than yesterday (n= 3 232) but lower than the average number of cases per day over the 7 preceding days (n= 8 466). The 7-day moving average daily number of cases has decreased.
For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.
HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
There has been an increase of 309 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 | 217899 | 38127 | 3188 |
| Public | 407 | 258763 | 58979 | 5669 |
| TOTAL | 666 | 476662 | 97106 | 8857 |
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.
