The NICD reports 15,465 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3,308,074. This increase represents a 30.7% positivity rate. As per the National Department of Health, a further 3 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 90,348 to date.
20,690,811 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| Private | 11,152,350 | 53.9% | 32,391 | 64.3% |
| Public | 9,538,461 | 46.1% | 17,986 | 35.7% |
| Total | 20,690,811 | 100.0% | 50,377 | 100.0% |
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal (27%), followed by Gauteng (23%). Western Cape accounted for 18%; Eastern Cape accounted for 8%; Free State accounted for 7%; Mpumalanga accounted for 6%; Limpopo and North West each accounted for 4% respectively; and Northern Cape accounted for 2% of today’s new cases. The cumulative number of cases by province are shown in the table below:
| Province | Total cases for 18 December 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 18 December 2021 | New cases on 19 December 2021 | Total cases for 19 December 2021 | Percentage total |
| Eastern Cape | 310,118 | 0 | 310,118 | 1,303 | 311,421 | 310,118 |
| Free State | 180,112 | 0 | 180,112 | 1,104 | 181,216 | 180,112 |
| Gauteng | 1,101,870 | 1 | 1,101,871 | 3,582 | 1,105,453 | 1,101,870 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 569,299 | 1 | 569,300 | 4135 | 573,435 | 569,299 |
| Limpopo | 135,732 | 0 | 135,732 | 573 | 136,305 | 135,732 |
| Mpumalanga | 169,749 | -2 | 169,747 | 921 | 170,668 | 169,749 |
| North West | 171,563 | 0 | 171,563 | 661 | 172,224 | 171,563 |
| Northern Cape | 97,800 | 0 | 97,800 | 337 | 98,137 | 97,800 |
| Western Cape | 556,366 | 0 | 556,366 | 2,849 | 559,215 | 556,366 |
| Total | 3,292,609 | 0 | 3,292,609 | 15,465 | 3,308,074 | 3,292,609 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 30.7% which is higher than yesterday (28.8%). The 7-day average is 31.3% today, which is higher than yesterday (31.0%).
For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.
HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
There has been an increase of 87 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours. The following table is a summary of reported COVID-19 admissions by sector.
| Sector | Facilities Reporting | Admissions to Date | Died to Date | Currently Admitted |
| Private | 259 | 209,200 | 37,591 | 3,106 |
| Public | 407 | 246,152 | 57,747 | 4,845 |
| TOTAL | 666 | 455,352 | 95,338 | 7,951 |
VACCINE UPDATE
For updates on the national vaccine programme, click here.