Covid-19: Death toll climbs by 51, as SA records 868 new infections

• South Africa recorded 868 new confirmed Covid-19 infections on Tuesday.
• 51 new deaths have been recorded, bringing the confirmed death toll to 89 635.
• Gauteng accounted for 605 of the new cases.

South Africa recorded 868 new confirmed Covid-19 infections on Tuesday and 51 deaths, bringing the confirmed death toll to 89 635.

According to a statement by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), as of Tuesday, the country recorded 2 948 760 laboratory-confirmed cases.

"The NICD… reports that 868 new Covid-19 cases have been identified in South Africa, representing a 2.1% positivity rate," the NICD statement read.

According to the Department of Health, 24 874 528 vaccine doses have been administered. Of those, 120 311 were administered in the last 24-hour reporting cycle. To date, 13 931 065 adults are fully vaccinated, and 365 758 children have received one vaccine dose.

The majority of new cases on Tuesday were from Gauteng, with 605 new cases recorded. The Western Cape recorded 52 new cases and Mpumalanga 47.

As of Tuesday, retrospective antigen tests are being recorded by the national Department of Health "to fill in gaps that existed", the NICD said. This resulted in the retrospective addition of 18 586 antigen tests, which included the 868 positive cases recorded in the last 24-hour cycle.

"The incorporation of antigen tests follows ongoing improvements to report as accurately as possible from all provinces and all testing facilities throughout South Africa," the NICD said.

As of Tuesday, South Africa conducted 19 244 585 tests, of which 40 791 were carried out in the last 24-hour cycle.

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