Covid-19 update: SA records 19,018 new cases

As of Saturday, South Africa has recorded a total of 3.112 469 million positive cases of Covid-19, with 19,018 new cases identified in the past 24 hours.

This increase represents a 22.8% positivity rate which is lower than Friday, which was at 29.7%. The seven-day average is 25.5% today, which is lower than yesterday (25,7%).

The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (49%), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (13%). Western Cape accounted for 11%; North West accounted for 6%; Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape each accounted for 5% respectively; and Northern Cape accounted for 1% of today’s new cases. 

As per the National Department of Health, a further 20 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 90,080 to date, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, has announced.

20 071 560 tests have been conducted in both the public and private sectors.

There has been an increase of 507 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.

South African Health Products Authority (Sahpra) approved booster shots for individuals over 18 years of age earlier this week.

Sahpra initially approved the use of Pfizer’s Comirnaty® Covid-19 vaccine on 16 March 2021, in terms of section 21 of the Medicines and Related Substance Act (Act 101 of 1965).

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On 17 November 2021, Sahpra then received an application from Pfizer to amend the dosing schedule for the Comirnaty® Covid-19 vaccine, allowing an optional third (booster) dose, said Sahpra in a statement on Wednesday.

Following evaluation of the data submitted, Sahpra has approved:

• A third dose of the Comirnaty® Covid-19 vaccine in individuals aged 18 years and older, to be administered at least 6 months after the second dose.
• A third dose of the Comirnaty® Covid-19 vaccine in individuals aged 12 years and older who are severely immunocompromised, to be administered at least 28 days after the second dose.

Experts are working to determine whether current Covid vaccines will work against the new highly-mutated variant, which was discovered by South African scientists last month.