Professor Salim Abdool Karim says the country is in the grip of the fifth wave of Covid-19 infections.
Karim warns that even with fewer hospitalisations no one should become complacent.
“So no matter what criteria you use, we are in the fifth wave. Whether it is called or not, it doesn’t matter because we are in a fifth wave,” he said.
Over 2,900 new COVID-19 cases have been recorded.
Gauteng is still leading infections with 1,386 cases.
KwaZulu-Natal is second with 528 and the Western Cape is third with 417.