South Africa recorded 619 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has said on Saturday.
AN INCREASE OF 34 HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS WAS RECORDED IN THE LAST 24 HOURS
This brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 916 179.
This increase of 619 new COVID-19 cases represents a 2.2 % positivity rate.
A further 25 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 88 587 to date.
“The cumulative number of recoveries is 2 804 676, which is 95.8% recovery rate.”
The majority of new cases is in Western Cape: 129, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 116 new cases, the Gauteng with 93, and the Eastern Cape with 67 new cases provinces. For more detailed information visit the GIS Dashboard
18 151 283 tests have been conducted in both the public and private sectors.
South Africa will begin vaccinating children as young as 12 next week and also offer Covid-19 boosters against certain immune disorders, the health minister.
With a large youth population and the world’s biggest HIV caseload, the announcement affects millions of people and marks a significant scaling up of South Africa’s pandemic response.
“We ready to open up vaccination for children between 12-17 years of age, and a majority of this cohort are in the secondary or high school level,” Health Minister Joe Phaahla told a news conference.
Under South African law, children aged 12 and up can give their own consent for medical treatment, meaning they don’t need parental permission to get the vaccine.
Starting Wednesday, children can receive a single Pfizer dose, with a second shot delayed to allow for further study on a rare side effect, the minister added.
More than one-third of all adults in South Africa have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, the minister added.
Source: The South African