The institute reports 21,099 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3,353,106. This increase represents a 30.6% positivity rate.
As per the National Department of Health, a further 99COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 90,587 to date.
20,844,222 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| Private | 11,237,927 | 53.9% | 39,800 | 57.7% |
| Public | 9,606,295 | 46.1% | 29,214 | 42.3% |
| Total | 20,844,222 | 100.0% | 69,014 | 100.0% |
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal (26%), followed by Western Cape (22%). Gauteng accounted for 18% and Eastern Cape 11%. Free State and North West each accounted for 6% and Mpumalanga 5%. Limpopo accounted for 4% 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 21 December 2021 | Adjusted numbers after harmonisation | Updated total cases on 21 December 2021 | New cases on 22 December 2021 | Total cases for 22 December 2021 |
| Eastern Cape | 313,512 | 0 | 313,512 | 2,327 | 315,839 |
| Free State | 182,548 | 2 | 182,550 | 1,245 | 183,795 |
| Gauteng | 1,110,676 | 3 | 1,110,679 | 3,807 | 1,114,486 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 579,941 | 2 | 579,943 | 5,411 | 585,354 |
| Limpopo | 137,180 | -16 | 137,164 | 811 | 137,975 |
| Mpumalanga | 171,561 | 7 | 171,568 | 1,116 | 172,684 |
| North West | 173,605 | 1 | 173,606 | 1,271 | 174,877 |
| Northern Cape | 98,813 | 0 | 98,813 | 502 | 99,315 |
| Western Cape | 564,172 | 0 | 564,172 | 4,609 | 568,781 |
| Total | 3,332,008 | -1 | 3,332,007 | 21,099 | 3,353,106 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 30,6% which is higher than yesterday (27,6%). The 7-day average is 29,8% today, which is lower than yesterday (30,1%).
For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.
HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
There has been an increase of 593 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 | 211,774 | 37,701 | 3,741 |
| Public | 407 | 249,656 | 58,017 | 5,583 |
| TOTAL | 666 | 461,430 | 95,718 | 9,324 |
VACCINE UPDATE
For updates on the national vaccine programme, click here.