covid-19 new variant

COVID-19 cases increased by 2 465 on Thursday 25 November 2021. Photo: Stock/Canva

COVID-19: Cases SOAR on 25 November after emergence of new variant

After the NCID announced that a new COVID-19 variant has been detected in over 100 cases in SA, daily infection reports have shot up.

covid-19 new variant

COVID-19 cases increased by 2 465 on Thursday 25 November 2021. Photo: Stock/Canva

Following the highly concerning developments earlier today regarding the emergence of a new COVID-19 strain present in various parts of South Africa, the NICD has delivered more worrying news – COVID-19 cases in SA have shot up by 2 465 in the past 24-hours. 

The total number of COVID-19 cases that have been accumulatively reported since March 2020 has risen to 2 952 500. 

Sadly, over the last 24-hours alone, a further 114 people have died from COVID-19, meaning that a total of 89 771 people have succumbed to the virus since the first death in March 2020. 

A total of 2 843 961 have recovered having tested positive for COVID-19, representing a positivity rate of 6.5%.

Provincial COVID-19 case breakdown Thursday 25 November:

The following confirmed COVID-19 cases have been recorded in each province over the last 24-hours on Thursday 25 November:

  • Eastern Cape – 30 new cases;
  • Free State – 29 new cases;
  • Gauteng – 1 950 new cases
  • KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) – 68 new cases;
  • Limpopo – 75 new cases
  • Mpumalanga – 55 cases;
  • North West – 132 new cases
  • Northern Cape – 28 new cases;
  • Western Cape – 98 cases; and
  • Unallocated –  0 cases, 0 deaths.

B.1.1.529 emerges in South Africa

Earlier on Thursday, the NICD announced that it is currently trying to gather as much information about the newly discovered  B.1.1.529 variant, which has been detected in over 100 South African cases as of Thursday 25 November. Researches said on Thursday that the new variant comes with approximately 32 different mutations, and carries several spike proteins which have made previous strains so problematic. 

The news comes just weeks before the festive season is set to begin in earnest.

“At this stage, it’s too early to tell what the new variant means for South Africa. There’s not yet any evidence that B.1.1.529 is more transmissible than Delta, and that’s truly the most crucial point of all,” the NICD said in a statement on Thursday afternoon. The NICD stressed that it is by no means time to panic, with