Covid-19 update: 768 new cases identified in South Africa

As of Tuesday, South Africa has recorded 2.907,619 positive cases of Covid-19, with 768 new cases identified since the last report, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has announced.

This increase, according to the institute, represents a 2.7% positivity rate.

The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal (25%), followed by Western Cape (20%).

Gauteng Province accounted for 17%; Eastern Cape and Free State accounted for 8% each; Mpumalanga & North West accounted for 7% each; Northern Cape accounted for 6%; and Limpopo accounted for 3% of today’s new cases.

103 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 87,922 to date, said the institute in a statement.

There has been an increase of 110 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours and 17.828,983 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors.

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

– EU to review Covid drug –

The EU’s medicines watchdog could start a review within days of an oral Covid drug, molnupiravir, produced by the US pharmaceutical firm Merck, a senior official says.

– Pandemic recovery hurt –

Factors from rising food prices to unequal vaccine access will hurt the global economic rebound from the pandemic this year, with poorer countries particularly affected, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva warns.

– Record deaths again in Russia –

Russia sets another daily record of 895 deaths as its Delta variant outbreak pushes its total to 211,696 deaths — the highest in Europe.

– 4.8 million dead –

The coronavirus has killed at least 4,805,049 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data. 

The US is the worst-affected country with 702,285 deaths, followed by Brazil with 598,152, India with 449,260, Mexico 279,106 and Russia with 211,696.

Based on latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were the US with 2,052 new deaths, followed by Russia with 895 and Ukraine with 317.

Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde. Additional reporting by AFP