The NICD reports 18,847 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3,393,109. This increase represents a 29.4% positivity rate.
As per the National Department of Health, a further 81COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 90,743 to date.
20,980,990 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| Private | 11,315,243 | 53.9% | 34,796 | 54.3% |
| Public | 9,665,747 | 46.1% | 29,283 | 45.7% |
| Total | 20,980,990 | 100.0% | 64,079 | 100.0% |
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal (26%), followed by Western Cape (25%). Gauteng accounted for 18%; Eastern Cape accounted for 11% and Free State and North West each accounted for 5%. Limpopo and Mpumalanga each accounted for 4% and Northern Cape accounted for 3% of today’s new cases. The cumulative number of cases by province are shown in the table below:
| Province | Total cases for 23 December 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 23 December 2021 | New cases on 24 December 2021 | Total cases for 24 December 2021 | Percentage total |
| Eastern Cape | 318,298 | 0 | 318,298 | 2,101 | 320,399 | 9.4 |
| Free State | 185,380 | 1 | 185,381 | 954 | 186,335 | 5.5 |
| Gauteng | 1,118,707 | 0 | 1,118,707 | 3,376 | 1,122,083 | 33.1 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 590,598 | 0 | 590,598 | 4,815 | 595,413 | 17.5 |
| Limpopo | 138,754 | 0 | 138,754 | 677 | 139,431 | 4.1 |
| Mpumalanga | 173,518 | 0 | 173,518 | 815 | 174, 333 | 5.1 |
| North West | 175,908 | 0 | 175,908 | 905 | 176,813 | 5.2 |
| Northern Cape | 99,719 | -1 | 99,718 | 572 | 100,290 | 3.0 |
| Western Cape | 573,380 | 0 | 573,380 | 4,632 | 578,012 | 17.0 |
| Total | 3,374,262 | 0 | 3,374,262 | 18,847 | 3,393,109 | 100.0 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 29.4% which is higher than yesterday (29.1%). The 7-day average is 29.4% today, which is lower than yesterday (29.6%).
For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.
HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
There has been an increase of 321 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 | 212,856 | 37,773 | 3,348 |
| Public | 407 | 251,579 | 58,189 | 5,781 |
| TOTAL | 666 | 464,435 | 95,962 | 9,129 |
VACCINE UPDATE
For updates on the national vaccine programme, click here.