Covid-19 update: 4,100 new cases reported in SA

South Africa has recorded a total of 3.594,499 positive cases of Covid-19 since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, with 4,100 new cases identified in the past 24 hours.

This increase represents a 10.5% positivity rate, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, has announced.

The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (29%), followed by Western Cape (15%). Kwa-Zulu Natal accounted for 13%; Limpopo and Mpumalanga each accounted for 12% respectively; North West accounted for 8%; Free State accounted for 5%; Eastern Cape accounted for 4%; and Northern Cape accounted for 2% of today’s new cases. 

“Due to the ongoing audit exercise by the National Department of Health (NDoH), there may be a backlog of COVID-19 mortality cases reported. Today, the NDoH reports 160 deaths and of these, 34 occurred in the past 24 – 48 hours. This brings the total fatalities to 94,651 to date,” said the NICD.

22.159,247 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors.

CGE retracts false statement on Covid-19 vaccines

The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has retracted a statement issued on 16 January 2022, in which they erroneously quoted an article published in a medical journal which alleges possible negative consequences of vaccination on women’s sexual and reproductive health.

“The CGE wishes to withdraw and retract the statement unreservedly. On reflection, we wish to acknowledge that issuing the statement was a regrettable error. We further regret that it led to unnecessary distraction of public attention away from our common fight against the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the CGE in a statement on Thursday.

“The CGE wishes to reiterate its support for existing government policy and guidelines on vaccination, and to express our confidence in current medical expertise and knowledge as provided by the country’s medical scientific community.”

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