CAPE TOWN – New daily coronavirus infections in South Africa have doubled to 4 373 new Covid-19 cases, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said on Tuesday. This comes while another 21 deaths due to Covid-19 complications were reported on Tuesday.
“Today the institute reports 4 373 new Covid-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 968 052.
“This increase represents a 10.2 percent positivity rate.
“As per the National Department of Health, a further 21 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 89 843 to date.
“A total of 19 477 054 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors,” the NICD said.
The organisation said the Gauteng province continues to be the epicentre of the increase in new Covid-19 cases as it accounts for 72 percent of the day’s cases, followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal each accounting for 6 percent of cases.
Limpopo and the North West accounted for 5 percent of cases respectively while Mpumalanga accounted for 3 percent of new cases.
The Free State accounted for 2 percent of cases and the Eastern cape for only 1 percent of new cases.
The NICD reported that the Northern Cape only accounted for less than 1% of the day’s new cases.
It said the proportion of positive new cases/total new tests today is 10.2 percent which is lower than Monday (10.7 percent).
In the past 24 hours, there has been a steep increase in hospital admission as 119 patients were admitted across the country.
Residents across the country have been urged to get vaccinated after a new Covid-19 variant, Omicron was discovered.
The country is getting into gear for a possible fourth wave of Covid-19 infections.
IOL