Covid-19 Update: 13,263 new cases reported in SA

Following a promising weekend leading up to the start of a new week, the Covid-19 numbers are rising again.

Covid-19 update

On Wednesday, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported 13,263 new Covid-19 cases in a 24-hour cycle.

The Institute responsible for monitoring Covid-19 said that the increase represent a 22.3 % positivity rate from a 19.8%  of the previous day.

South Africa has now recorded 2 484 009 laboratory confirmed cases of Covid-19.

“As per the National Department of Health, a further 423 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 73 415 to date,” the institute reported on Wednesday.

“15 031 457 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors.”

Covid-19 vaccine rollout

Meanwhile, the department of correctional services on Wednesday announced that it was edging closer to vaccinate the whole prison population with close to 70,000 inmates inoculated.

“To date, a total of 68,593 inmates have been inoculated. The daily vaccination target remains at 8,391. Correctional officials are not left behind, those who have been vaccinated thus far stand at 12,328,” the department said in a statement.

It said that prevention measures applied by correctional services have thus far managed to prevent an outbreak calamity.

“The current standard operating procedures have enforced a necessary barrier in the form of a protection wall between the general inmate population and the newly admitted persons who are to be placed in the isolation sites until cleared. In addition, the meticulous deployment of DCS officials has also made the difference,” reads the statement.