At its regular meeting on Wednesday, Cabinet acknowledged the country’s efforts in the fight against COVID-19, but cautioned that the battle is not yet over.
Cabinet urged all people in South Africa to remain vigilant and continue protecting themselves against the spread of the deadly virus.
“Cabinet is pleased that almost 32 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered and that over 42 percent of our adult population is fully vaccinated,” Cabinet said in a statement.
However, unvaccinated people still remain unprotected against COVID-19 and pose a health risk to themselves and those around them.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a total of 1 867 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in South Africa on Wednesday, bringing the number of positive cases in the country since the start of the pandemic to 3 688 423.
The majority of new cases were confirmed in Gauteng with 37% positive cases, followed by the Western Cape with 26% positive cases. KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 15%; Free State, Mpumalanga and North West each accounted for 5% respectively; Eastern Cape accounted for 4%; Limpopo accounted for 3%; and Northern Cape accounted for 1% of new cases.
Thirteen deaths were reported, and of these, 10 occurred in the past 24–48 hours, and bringing the total to 99 656 deaths.
Cabinet said vaccination remains the best way to fight COVID-19, and called on everyone aged 12 years and above to vaccinate without further delay.
“Booster shots are now freely available for most people and Cabinet calls on those who are eligible to get boosted as soon as possible.
“We must also continue to wear masks that cover both the mouth and nose, wash or sanitise our hands frequently, keep a safe social distance and ensure adequate ventilation by opening windows,” Cabinet said. – SAnews.gov.za
