B.1.1.529 variant Covid-19 hot-spots

Covid-19 cases increased in SA recently. Photo: Stock/Canva

COVID-19 latest: Numbers remain low- SA reports 230 new reported cases, 14 deaths

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said 14 deaths were recorded bringing the fatalities to 89 177 to date.

B.1.1.529 variant Covid-19 hot-spots

Covid-19 cases increased in SA recently. Photo: Stock/Canva

South Africa recorded 230 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has said on Sunday. 

A TOTAL OF 14 DEATHS HAVE BEEN RECORDED IN THE LAST 24 HOURS

This brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 922 116. 

This increase of 230 new COVID-19 cases represents a 1.2 % positivity rate. 

A further 14 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 89 177 to date.

“The cumulative number of recoveries is 2 814 264, which is 96.3% recovery rate.” 

The majority of new cases is in Mpumalanga: 45, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 42 new cases, the Gauteng with 36, and the Western Cape with 31 new cases provinces. 

For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.

18 544 880 tests have been conducted in both the public and private sectors.

ALSO READ: Do you qualify for the Covid-19 grant? Here are the eligibility criteria

Oramed Pharmaceuticals confirmed on Friday that the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority had given permission for the trial to go ahead.

The trial will be run in Johannesburg and see just 24 volunteers take the company pill vaccine. Oramed told the Sunday Times that results from the trial are expected halfway through next year.

Meanwhile, scientists are now sounding the alarm over a new variant of COVID-19 known unofficially as “Delta-Plus.”

For now, this new variant isn’t a cause for concern for South Africa as it currently accounts for about 6% of all analysed COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom (UK).

UK scientists are now hard at work trying to determine the extent of the Delta Plus variant’s spread. The variant contains mutations that might give the virus survival advantages. 

It is scientifically referred to as AY.4.2, and there isn’t yet evidence that suggests that this particular variant makes people even sicker. AY.4.2 has two spike mutations found in other coronavirus variants and was first sequenced in April 2020.

READ: COVID-19: Delta variant has a NEW mutation – here’s what we know