Covid-19 update: SA records 2,640 new cases and 125 deaths

People queue for Covid-19vaccines at the vaccine centre at the Kempton Park Civic Centre, 28 July 2021. Picture: Neil McCartney

South Africa on Monday recorded 2,640 new cases of Covid-19, in what the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says is a sign of sustained downward trend.

This brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2.860,835. This increase represents a 10.4% positivity rate.

A further 125 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 85,002 to date.

The majority of new cases today are from Eastern Cape (33%), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (23%). Free State accounted for 10%; Western Cape and Northern Cape accounted for 9% each; Mpumalanga accounted for 7%; Gauteng Province accounted for 6%; North West accounted for 4%; and Limpopo accounted for <1% of today’s new cases.

There has been an increase of 163 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.

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Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis.

– Pope’s solidarity call –

Pope Francis calls for Europe to show “solidarity” during the economic recovery from the pandemic as he visits Slovakia, one of the worst hit countries on the continent.

– Vietnamese flee –

Fifteen people including a seven-year-old boy are found inside a refrigerated truck in Vietnam after trying to escape locked-down areas of the south badly hit by the virus.

– Auckland extends lockdown –

New Zealand’s largest city will remain in strict lockdown for at least another week as a Delta variant outbreak “rumbles along”.

– South Africa health pass –

President Cyril Ramaphosa announces plans for “vaccine passports” to counter public scepticism about getting inoculated ahead of an easing of restrictions this week.

– UK cancels vaccine contract –

Britain has pulled out of a deal to buy a vaccine that the French-Austrian biotech laboratory Valneva is working on.

– Portugal lifts mask requirement –

People no longer need to wear masks outside in Portugal, which leads Europe with nearly eight out of 10 of its inhabitants fully vaccinated.

– Greece’s tough school –

Greek teenagers go back to school with those who have not been vaccinated forced to pay for tests to be allowed back into class.

– It’s a picnic in Sydney –

Virus lockdown rules are relaxed for fully vaccinated people in Sydney, with small groups allowed to meet for picnics for the first time in months.

– Over 4.6 million dead –

The coronavirus has killed at least 4,627,854 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data.

The US is the worst-affected country with 659,975 deaths, followed by Brazil with 586,851, India with 442,874, Mexico 267,748 and Peru 198,764.

Based on latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were the Russia with 719, followed by the US with 692 and Iran with 487.

Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde. Additional reporting by AFP