Covid-19 update: SA reports 3,118 new cases and 110 deaths

As of Wednesday, South Africa has recorded a total of 3.665,149 cases of Covid-19, with 3,118 new cases identified in the past 24 hours.

This increase represents an 8.7% positivity rate, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, has announced.

The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (36%), followed by Western Cape (21%).  Kwa-Zulu Natal accounted for 15%; Mpumalanga accounted for 9% and North West accounted for 7%. Free State accounted for 4%; Eastern Cape and Limpopo each accounted for 3% respectively and Northern Cape accounted for 1% of today’s new cases.

“Due to the ongoing audit exercise by the National Department of Health (NDoH), there may be a backlog of COVID-19 mortality cases reported. Today, the NDoH reports 110 deaths and of these, 6 occurred in the past 24 – 48 hours. This brings the total fatalities to 98,978 to date,” said the NICD.

22.964,127 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors.

There has been an increase of 86 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.

#COVID19 UPDATE: 35,870 tests were conducted in the last 24hrs, with 3,118 new cases, which represents an 8.7% positivity rate. Today @HealthZA reports 110 deaths; of which 6 occurred in the past 24–48 hrs. Total fatalities are 98,978 to date. See more: https://t.co/OxGfStx0YB pic.twitter.com/aW3rPKaYZ5

— NICD (@nicd_sa) February 23, 2022

Covid-19: Latest global developments

– New Sanofi-GSK vaccine –

French pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi and Britain’s GSK say they will “seek regulatory authorisation” for their Covid vaccine in the United States and the European Union after phase 3 trials delivered positive results.

– Vaccine call for North Korea –

The world should provide millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccines to North Korea, where “draconian” anti-pandemic measures are worsening an already-severe food crisis, Tomas Ojea Quintana, UN special rapporteur on human rights, says.

– Hong Kong parents decry child separations –

Hong Kong parents say they are being separated from children and babies who test positive for the coronavirus, compounding public anger over the financial hub’s lack of readiness for the outbreak now sweeping the city.

– New EU travel recommendation-

European Union member countries agree to open up more from March 1 to tourists from outside the bloc who are jabbed against Covid with WHO-approved vaccines or who are recovered.

ALSO READ: Govt reduces time intervals between Covid-19 vaccine doses

– Heathrow posts big loss –

London’s Heathrow airport announces it narrowed annual losses only slightly in 2021 to £1.8 billion ($2.4 billion) despite the reopening of global air travel, blaming what it says were stricter passenger curbs in Britain compared to the neighbouring EU.

– Milan Fashion Week –

Milan Fashion Week’s womenswear shows take again to the catwalk, which organisers hope will boost an industry stifled by two years of coronavirus.

– More than 5.9 million dead –

Coronavirus has killed at least 5.904,193 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on Wednesday.

The United States has recorded the most Covid deaths with 939,201 followed by Brazil with 645,420  and India 512,622.

Taking into account excess mortality linked to Covid-19, the WHO estimates the true death toll could be two to three times higher.

Additional reporting by AFP