South Africa records 685 new COVID-19 cases

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported at least 685 more cases of COVID-19 in the country over the past 24 hour reporting period.

The positivity rate for the reporting period is at 5.4%.

The cases bring the cumulative number of COVID-19 infections to at least 3.6 million laboratory confirmed cases.

“The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (46%), followed by the Western Cape (20%). Kwa-Zulu Natal accounted for 18% and Mpumalanga accounted for 5%, Eastern Cape, Free State and North West each accounted for 3% respectively. Northern Cape accounted 1%  and Limpopo accounted for less than 1% of today’s new cases,” said the NICD on Monday.

Deaths and hospital admissions as a result of the virus are also on the low.

“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 two deaths and of these, two occurred in the past 24 – 48 hours. This brings the total fatalities to 100,052 to date.

“There has been an increase of 26 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours,” the NICD reported.

Meanwhile, at least 49 000 more people living in South Africa have received a jab over the past 24 hour period.

The cumulative number of those who received at least one jab of the vaccination now stands at least 33.8 million.