Covid-19 update: SA cases have increased over the past two weeks

After enjoying relatively stable statistics during the past few weeks, Covid-19 cases have begun to increase over the last 14 days.

The Gauteng provincial government has now warned the country is likely to experience the dreaded fourth wave of infections during the festive period.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), 789 new Covid-19 cases were identified on Friday, an increase which is now representing a 2.8% positivity rate. 

Seven Covid-19 related deaths were also reported. 

Just one day ago, the country’s positivity rate stood at 1.7%.

65% of the new cases come from Gauteng, followed by the Northern Cape. 

“Covid-19 is still in our midst and people should guard against complacency.

“As many people as possible must be vaccinated to ensure that they are protected from severe illness, hospitalisation or death in the event that they contract the coronavirus,” the Gauteng government urged. 

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Global stats

The number of new daily coronavirus cases increased sharply by nine percent globally to 517,600, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.

Infections rocketed by a third in the US alone and were up nine percent in Europe.

The US remained by far the country with the biggest number of new cases, with 97,500 per day, up a staggering 33 percent. It was followed by Germany with 43,000 (up 36 percent) and Britain.

On a per capita basis the country that recorded the most new cases this week was Slovenia with 1,107 cases per 100,000 habitants followed by Austria (981) and Croatia (887).

The US also had the highest number of deaths, with an average of 1,281 a day, ahead of Russia with 1,235 and Ukraine 664.

In Africa, case were down 32 percent, although this figure was skewed by last week’s correction in Botswana’s figures.

At a global level there was also an upturn in the number of daily deaths, which increased by four percent to 7,439.

The United Arab Emirates is still the most vaccinated country on Earth, with 89 percent of its population fully covered.

It is narrowly ahead of Portugal (87 percent) and Singapore (86 percent), Qatar (85), Chile (83) and Cambodia, Spain, Cuba and South Korea (79 percent each).

Malaysia and Italy are on 77 percent ahead of Canada, Japan, Denmark and Uruguay (76 percent) and China, Ireland, France and Belgium on 75 percent.

Compiled by Nica Richards. Additional reporting by AFP