COVID-19 in SA: More than 13 000 new cases, 136 deaths

South Africa has detected 13 246 new cases of COVID-19 in a single day, the Department of Health has said. The latest stats put the national count to 1 774 312, since the start of the global pandemic.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the latest figures represent a positivity rate of 21.7%.

“These concerning figures represent the highest number of daily cases and positivity rate recorded since January 2021,” the NICD said.

Another spike in COVID-19 cases for Gauteng

The latest figures also come as the NCID announced recently that the country technically entered a third wave of COVID-19 infections – and as additional lockdown measures have come into effect.

Gauteng once again recorded the lion’s share of COVID-19 infections, with 7 859 of the cases being picked up in the province.

“The Northern Cape, Free State, North West and Gauteng Provinces are officially in a third wave, with the remaining five provinces seeing sustained increases in the number of cases. The majority of cases reported today are once again from Gauteng (59.3%)”

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD)

On another grim note, COVID-19 continues claiming more lives in the country, with an additional 136 people having been reported dead over the past 24-hour cycle – this puts the toll to 58 118.

In light of the rising figures, the NICD has reiterated its call for people to exercise the necessary preventative measures, so as to avoid a further spread of the respiratory disease.

“Citizens should remain vigilant in following Covid-19 preventative measures by wearing a mask that covers both the nose and mouth, practicing healthy hand hygiene – through washing and/or sanitising – maintaining physical distancing of at least 1.5m and limiting social interactions as much as possible,” the NICD said.