Covid-19 update: SA reports 13,992 new cases and 11 deaths

As of Monday, South Africa has reported 3.180,785 positive cases of Covid-19, with 13,992 cases identified in the past 24 hours.

This increase represents a 31.0% positivity rate.

The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (48%), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (19%). Western Cape accounted for 10%; Free State and North West each accounted for 5% respectively; Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga each accounted for 4% respectively; Limpopo accounted for 2%; and Northern Cape accounted for 1% of today’s new cases.

As per the National Department of Health, a further 11 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 90,148 to date.

20.283,906 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, announced.

There has been an increase of 422 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.

Here are some vaccine myths and facts

Myth 1: Vaccines were rushed

The vaccine was developed very quickly. This was possible because the vaccine technology had been in development for many years. When the genetic information of Covid-19 was identified, the process began quickly.

There were sufficient resources to fund the research and social media made it easier to recruit participants for the clinical trials. Because SARS-CoV-2 is contagious, it was easy to tell whether the vaccine worked or not.

Myth 2: Vaccines will change my DNA

The vaccine does not work on the DNA of the body. Some people think that because some of the vaccines are made using RNA technology, that means the RNA will interact with the DNA. That is not how it works.

Myth 3: Vaccines have microchips

There is no vaccine “microchip” and there is no evidence to support claims that such a move is planned. Receiving a vaccine will not allow people to be tracked and personal information will not be entered into a database.

Myth 4: Businesses and government are pushing vaccines for profit

The Covid-19 pandemic impacted economies across the globe and the fastest way to return to normal life is through ensuring that the majority of the population is protected from the virus.

Vaccines are the simplest and most effective way for the economy to be restored, with government committed to saving lives as well as livelihoods.

Additional reporting by Siyanda Ndlovu