Photo: Supplied
Each of SA’s nine provinces recorded an increase in COVID-19 cases. The WC and KZN accounted for 51% of Thursday’s positive tests.
Photo: Supplied
South Africa recorded more than 14 000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, 12 August, according to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD). The 63 369 tests conducted over the past 24 hours represent a positivity rate of 22.5%, jumping up from yesterday’s 18.9%. The Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal swapped places, again, as the provinces with the most daily infections.
The 14 271 new COVID-19 cases detected in South Africa on Thursday brings the total number of active cases in the country to 147 368. Unfortunately, 473 more people died of COVID-19-related complications, according to the NICD, bringing the death toll to 76 247.
A further 579 people were hospitalised because of COVID-19 within the past 24 hours. There are now 14 670 people admitted for treatment in both public and private hospitals.
“The total number of cases today (n=14 271) is higher than yesterday (n=7 502) and higher than the average number of new cases per day over the 7 preceding days (n=10 169),” said the NICD.
The Western Cape (26%) and KwaZulu-Natal (25%) traded places, just a day after KZN replaced the WC as the province with the most daily cases.
Gauteng remains the third-most affected province with 16%, followed by Eastern Cape with 11%. The remaining provinces all contributed single-digit percentages. Mpumalanga accounted for 6%; Free State and North West had 5% respectively; Limpopo had 3% and the Northern Cape rounded off the list with 2% of the day’s cases.
The list below shows the new COVID-19 cases identified by province, the bracketed number is the number of cases detected on the previous day: