Category: COVID-19 Corona Virus

A total of 40 654 COVID-19 tests have been conducted, with 4 322 new cases being identified in South Africa in the last 24 hours.

This brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 568 900.

In a statement on Wednesday, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said this increase represents a 10.6% positivity rate.

Due to the ongoing audit exercise by the National Department of Health (NDoH), the institute said there may be a backlog of COVID-19 mortality cases reported.

The Department of Health said 156 deaths have been reported and of these, 36 occurred in the past 24 – 48 hours, and this brings the total fatalities to 93 707 deaths to date.

“The cumulative number of recoveries now stand at 3 390 027 with a recovery rate of 95%. More than 29 million vaccine doses have been administered,” the department reported.

There were 39 654 COVID-19 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, with 3 658 new cases reported across the country.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), this represents a 9.2% positivity rate.

Of the latest infections, Gauteng is leading with 814 cases, followed by 745 in the Western Cape, 329 in the Eastern Cape, 305 in Limpopo and 202 in the North West.

This means the country now has 3 564 578 laboratory-confirmed cases since the outbreak.

In addition, 30 more patients lost their battle to COVID-19 related complications, pushing the tally to 93 551 to date.

Meanwhile, hospital admissions went up by 198 to 7 363 since the last reporting cycle.

According to the Department of Health, 85 885 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered on Tuesday, bringing the total to 29 084 975.

The department said 16 125 558 or 40.52% adults are now fully jabbed, while over one million vaccine doses have been given to children aged between the ages of 12 and 17.

Globally, as of 18 January 2022, there have been 328 532 929 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5 542 359 deaths, reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Global view

Globally, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased between 10 and 16 January 2022, while deaths remained similar to that reported during the previous week.

According to the WHO, over 18 million new cases were reported this week, a 20% jump compared to the previous week in all regions.

Meanwhile, over 45 000 new fatalities were recorded.

“Despite a slowdown of the increase in case incidence at the global level, all regions reported an increase in the incidence of weekly cases except for the African region, which reported a 27% decrease,” the agency said on Tuesday.

The highest numbers of new cases were reported from the United States (4 688 466 new cases, similar to previous week’s figures), France (2 012 943 new cases, a 26% increase), India (1 594 160 new cases, a 150% increase), Italy (1 268 153 new cases, a 25% increase), and the United Kingdom (813 326 new cases, a 33% decrease).

Among the 405 739 sequences with specimens collected in the last 30 days, 71.9% were Omicron, 28% were Delta, less than 0.1% were Gamma, Alpha and other circulating variants.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to join Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, founder of the multinational conglomerate NantWorks, LLC, in launching the NantSA vaccine manufacturing campus in Brackenfell, Cape Town, on Wednesday.

The President and Dr Soon-Shiong will also launch the Coalition to Accelerate Africa’s Access to Advanced Healthcare (The AAAH Coalition).

This launch comes after an announcement made by Dr Soon-Shiong in September last year of an ambitious initiative to build capacity for advanced health care in Africa.

NantSA, a division of NantWorks, and The AAAH Coalition aim to accelerate domestic production of pharmaceuticals, biologics and vaccines that will reach patients across the African continent.

In a statement on Monday, The Presidency said that through the synergistic efforts of  members of The AAAH Coalition, self-reliance will be accelerated around next-generation vaccines manufactured in South Africa for Africa, innovative therapeutics and pandemic preparedness.

“With the support of the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation, institutes for infectious disease and cancer centres of excellence will be established at the universities of Cape Town and the Witwatersrand and the Chan Soon-Shiong Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CSS CERI) at the University of Stellenbosch,” the Presidency said.

President Ramaphosa and Dr Soon-Shiong will perform a ribbon-cutting for the official launch of the NantSA vaccine manufacturing campus at Brackengate and also present the vision and mission of The AAAH Coalitions.

The event will be attended by a select group of invitees including representatives of government, academia and the biotech industry.

There were 1 691 new COVID-19 cases detected in South Africa, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported on Monday.

Meanwhile, 87 people succumbed to the respiratory disease, of which 25 occurred in the past 24 to 48 hours.

This means the country is now home to 3 560 921 laboratory-confirmed infections since the outbreak, while the death toll stands at 93 451.

Of the latest infections reported, Gauteng was the hardest-hit after 456 people tested positive in the province, followed by 316 in the Western Cape, 285 in KwaZulu-Natal, 185 in Mpumalanga, 119 in Limpopo and 110 in the North West.

According to the NICD, hospital admissions increased by 114 in the past 24 hours.

In addition, the Department of Health distributed 86 119 vaccine doses, bringing the number of jabs to 28 993 654 of which 1 086 295 were given to children since the rollout programme.

Meanwhile, there are now 16 080 352 or 40.40% adults who are fully vaccinated in South Africa.

The department said that of the 7 249 that are receiving COVID-19 hospital treatment, 5 310 are unvaccinated, 298 are partially jabbed and 1 641 are fully jabbed.

Globally, as of 17 January 2022, there have been 326 279 424 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 5 536 609 deaths, reported to the World Health Organisation.

Meanwhile, 9 395 059 118 vaccine doses have been administered across the globe.

South Africa recorded 2 597 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, pushing the total number of laboratory-confirmed infections to 3 559 230 since the outbreak.

The majority of new cases today are from Western Cape after 721 people tested positive, followed by 602 in Gauteng, 547 in KwaZulu-Natal, 167 in the Eastern Cape, 129 in the Northern Cape and 122 in Limpopo, while the rest of the provinces logged less than 100 infections.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the latest increase represents a 10.6% positivity rate.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health reported 86 deaths due to the ongoing audit exercise, of which only 25 occurred in the past 24 to 48-hour reporting cycle.

This means the death toll now stands at 93 364 to date, while there has been an increase of 42 hospital admissions.

In addition, the country administered 4 374 vaccine doses since the last reporting cycle, which brings the tally to 28 903 010 jabs.

The department said 16 036 025 or 40.29% adults South Africans are now fully jabbed, while 1 072 280 children between ages 12 and 17 have received their vaccine.

Of the 7 441 people who are currently receiving hospital treatment for COVID-19, 5 413 are unvaccinated, 310 are partially jabbed and 1 718 are fully vaxxed.

Globally, as of 14 January 2022, there have been 318 648 834 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5 518 343 deaths, reported to the World Health Organisation.

The Department of Health has called on all people who experience any adverse events following immunisation to immediately report to their nearest health facility or vaccination site.

This comes after the department noted with concern a video clip circulating on social media platforms depicting a male patient suffering from what looks like throat cancer, claiming this to be the result of a COVID-19 vaccine.

In a statement on Wednesday, the department said each province and district has allocated persons who are responsible for investigating severe and serious adverse events following immunisation within 48 hours since it has been identified or the health system has been notified thereof. However, there is no time limit to report an event.

“All adverse events following immunisation are taken seriously, and appropriate action can only be taken if they are reported,” the department said.

The department has reiterated that COVID-19 vaccines are very safe and highly effective at preventing hospitalisation and death, and therefore it discourages members of the public from using other people’s health conditions and life experiences to push their personal theories to justify opposition to this life-saving intervention.

“All vaccines and medicines have side effects, with the majority of COVID-19 vaccine side effects being minor and resolving within 2 – 3 days. While individuals respond differently to vaccination and side effects differ slightly among the vaccines, the most common side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines include headache, mild fever, chills, pain and/or redness at the injection site, fatigue, muscle pain, nausea and mild diarrhoea,” the department said.

The department said serious adverse events following immunisation are very rarely caused by immunisation. They are most often health events that would have happened regardless of whether a vaccine was received.

“Rare vaccine adverse events can be managed successfully if they are identified early.  Uncommon, severe and serious adverse events should always be reported, so that they are fully investigated, including those that need medical attention or hospitalisation.

“It is important to understand if the vaccine was responsible for the event, or whether it happened coincidentally to vaccination, even those that have improved clinically or resolved spontaneously,” the statement read.

The department has urged the public to report any serious adverse events following immunisation to the available platforms.

Upon reporting the case, the department says the assigned investigators will obtain the medical records of the person who experienced the adverse event, and submit these data to the National Immunisation Safety Expert Committee (NISEC) without making any judgement themselves on the cause of the adverse event.

Adverse events following immunisation may be reported using the Med Safety App (https://medsafety.sahpra.org.za/) or by completing a paper ‘Case report form’ which may be accessed at https://www.nicd.ac.za/diseases-a-z-index/adverse-event-following- immu….

The form should be returned by email to AEFI@health.gov.za. Alternatively, the COVID-19 Public Hotline can be contacted on 0800 0299 99.

South Africa’s COVID-19 positivity rate continues to show a steady decline, although it is still higher than the 5% suggested by the World Health Organisation.

According to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, the country recorded 5 688 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24-hour reporting period, with a 14% positivity rate – far below a high of at least 35% experienced in mid-December.

“The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 14.0%, which is the same as yesterday (14.0%). The 7-day average is 18.3% today, which is lower than yesterday (19.2%).

“The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal (1 432), followed by Gauteng (1 310). Western Cape accounted for 1 151, Eastern Cape 582, Free State 330, Limpopo 216, Mpumalanga 232, North West 238 and the Northern Cape 177,” the institute said.

The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases has now reached 3 534 131, with 119 more fatalities, bringing the total number of deaths related to the virus to 92 649.

Hospital admissions due to the virus have also risen by 255.

Some 86 613 more COVID-19 vaccinations were administered over the past 24-hour reporting period.

In total, at least 28.5 million jabs have been administered since the beginning of the vaccination rollout programme.

South Africa recorded 11 106 new COVID-19 cases and 110 deaths, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Wednesday.

This means the country now has 3 494 696 confirmed infections and 91 561 fatalities since the start of the pandemic.

According to the latest data, KwaZulu-Natal continues to report the highest number of infections after 2 863 people tested positive in the last 24 hours.

The province is followed by 2 834 cases in the Western Cape, 2 156 in Gauteng and 1 228 in the Eastern Cape, pushing the positivity rate to 22.2%.

In addition, hospital admissions have increased by 349 to 8 887 since the last reporting cycle.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health has administered 64 724 vaccine doses in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 28 164 339 since the start of the rollout programme.

Data shows that 14 940 doses were given to children, which means there are now 947 167 jabs distributed to adolescents.

In addition, the department said there are now 15 702 030 adults who are fully vaccinated in the country.

Globally, as of 5 January 2022, there have been 293 750 692 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 5 454 131 deaths reported to the World Health Organisation.

The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported at least 7216 new laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases throughout the country by 6pm last night.

This brings the cumulative number of cases to 3 424 534 since the outbreak.

This positivity rate stands at 23.6%, with an increase of 286 hospitalisations due to the virus.

The country also recorded at least 25 more COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to at least 90 854.

The provincial breakdown of new cases is as follows:

• KwaZulu Natal recorded the most new cases with 1990;
• The Western Cape followed with 1817 new cases;
• Gauteng accounted for 1616 new cases;
• There were 795 new cases in the Eastern Cape;
• The Free State accounted for 258 new cases;
• The North West has at least 227 new cases;
• Mpumalanga recorded 191 new cases;
• Limpopo accounted for 171 new cases and
• The Northern Cape recorded at least 151 new cases

“The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 23.6%, which is higher than yesterday (22.0%). The 7-day average is 26.8% today, which is lower than yesterday (27.4%). The 7-day moving average daily number of cases has decreased,” the NICD said on Tuesday.

There were 50 266 vaccines administered by 5pm on Tuesday evening.

The total number of jabs in arms has now reached over 27.8 million.

The Department of Health says the implementation of the revised COVID-19 contract tracing, quarantine and isolation protocols released last week have been suspended.

In a statement, the department said it has been “inundated with media, stakeholders and public enquiries and comments” since the release of the new protocols – leading to the decision to put the new protocols on hold.

“[In] line with the principles of transparency and openness, the department has decided to put the implementation of the revised policy changes on hold, while taking all additional comments and inputs received into consideration. This means the status quo remains, and all prior existing regulations with regards to contact tracing, quarantine and isolation remain applicable.

“An amended circular will be re-issued once all additional inputs and comments have been considered. The department sincerely apologises for any confusion and inconvenience caused,” the statement read.

The department explained that the revised protocols were “based on a number of scientific factors”.

“[This is] including the fact that, most people have vaccinated with at least one vaccine dose and developed some level of immunity. This has contributed to the current low hospitalisation and high recovery rates.

“Secondly, many people do not show any symptoms, and only a small percentage of them are diagnosed. A number of people including children who are in contact with COVID-19 positive people, lose their income and valuable school time while staying at home without symptoms,” the department said.