Covid-19 update: 5,019 new cases identified in SA in last 24 hours

South Africa has recorded another 5,019 COVID-19 infections.

This brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to more than 3,926,652.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported 15 COVID deaths in the last 24 hours but warned that due to an ongoing audit by the Health Department there may be a backlog in cases reported.

As such, the death toll currently stands at 100,931.

The recovery rate stands at 95.9%, meaning over 3,766,603 people had recovered from the virus.

Gauteng has the most number of active cases followed by the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

On the vaccination front more than 35.7 million doses have been administered.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the use of a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for children aged 5 to 11-year-old.

More than eight million of the 28 million children in that age group in the United States have received two vaccine shots, and will now be eligible for the extra dose at least five months after their second shot.

However, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention still needs to sign off on the shots before they can be administered.

The US government has been pushing for eligible Americans to get boosters in the face of data that shows vaccine immunity decreases over time.

The FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said the Omicron variant has seen more children getting Covid.

With children between the ages of 12 and 17 receiving the Covid-19 vaccine in South Africa, it might not be too long before under 12s become also become eligible in this country.

Last year, Health Minister Joe Phaahla said no Covid-19 vaccine was approved for use in South Africa on children aged below 12 years.

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