Covid-19 update: 3,785 new cases reported in SA

South Africa has identified 3,785 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, has announced.

This brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3.802, 198. This increase represents a 17.6% positivity rate.

The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng Province (45%) followed by KwaZulu-Natal (28%). Western Cape accounted for 12%; Free State accounted for 5%; Eastern Cape accounted for 4%; Mpumalanga and North West each accounted for 2% respectively; and Limpopo and Northern Cape each accounted for 1% respectively of today’s new cases.

The country has also reported seven deaths, and of these, two occurred in the past 24 – 48 hours. This brings the total fatalities to 100,377 to date.

24.527,102 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors.

There has been an increase of 68 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.

A new Omicron variant found in wastewater is not necessarily dangerous and might not cause a fifth wave, according to an expert.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has detected a new sub-variant, called BA.4, of Omicron in wastewater in south western Johannesburg.

This comes after a rise in new Covid-19 cases in South Africa, with 2,650 cases and seven deaths recorded on Monday.

Speaking to 702 on Tuesday morning, executive director of NICD, Professor Adrian Puren, said they are currently conducting studies to determine the effectiveness of vaccines on the sub-variants.

With the positive cases on the rise causing panic of a looming fifth wave, Puren said South Africa has not officially entered the fifth wave yet but is experiencing a resurgence.

READ MORE: New Omicron variant found – but should South Africans be concerned?

Additional reporting by Kgomotso Phooko