Covid cases in Tshwane drop significantly from 25 000 to 14 000

Once the global epicentre of the Omicron variant infection, the City of Tshwane is now reporting a significant drop in new infections.

The latest figures show that active cases have gone down from 25 285 to 14 275.

“The City of Tshwane has recorded a significant contraction of over 11 000 in the number of active Covid-19 cases. Our most recent Covid-19 report indicates that active cases have gone down as of this Monday, 20 December 2021,” said City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality spokesperson Sipho Stuurman.

“Last week Monday, the number of active cases stood at 25 285. This represents a rapid decline in active cases,” he added.

New confirmed daily cases have also decreased and are averaging around 1 000 per day. At some point during previous weeks, daily cases had peaked at 4 000 per day.

The number of new cases per day for the last five days is as follows:

• Thursday, 16 December 2021: 1 979 new cases
• Friday, 17 December 2021: 1 803 new cases
• Saturday, 18 December 2021: 1 588 new cases
• Sunday, 19 December 2021: 909 new cases
• Monday, 20 December 2021: 1 019 new cases

“The decrease in active COVID-19 cases is good news for our Tshwane residents. This may possibly signal the turning point in the fight against the fourth wave,” said Stuurman.

Stuurman has cautioned against relaxing Covid-19 safety measures, saying Tshwane residents still need to maintain social distancing and wear masks in public.

“Nonetheless, we need to remain vigilant and adhere to all COVID-19 safety protocols, such as social distancing, wearing masks and sanitising regularly over the festive season.

“I want to encourage all persons aged 12 years and older to get vaccinated. Our public vaccination sites are spread across Tshwane with teams ready to assist,” said Stuurman.

(Compiled by Narissa Subramoney)

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