The latest COVID-19 figures have been released. According to the Health Ministry, 7 070 new cases were identified in South Africa. As of today, the death toll stands at 42 550 with recoveries at 1 263 476.
COVID-19 update: 27 January 2021
Breakdown of new confirmed COVID-19 cases
As per Health Minister Zweli Mkhize’s report, 7 070 confirmed cases were identified during the past 24 hours (6 041 new cases on 26 January). Unfortunately, we also lost 753 patients to COVID-19-related illnesses.
As per the report: 6 patients from the Eastern Cape passed away, 17 from the Free State, 75 from Gauteng, 261 from KwaZulu-Natal, 219 from Limpopo, 16 from Mpumalanga, 50 from North West, 7 from Northern Cape and 102 from the Western Cape.
At the time of publishing, the Health Ministry conducted 8 107 833 cumulative COVID-19 tests, of which 49 065 were done during the past 24 hours: 23 439 at public facilities and 25 626 at private facilities.
Breakdown of new COVID-19 cases
New cases, deaths and recoveries by province
The confirmed COVID-19 cases per province is as follows:
| Province | Total Cases in South Africa | Total Deaths | Total Recoveries | Active Cases currently |
| Gauteng | 384 440 | 7 891 | 359 417 | 17 132 |
| Western Cape | 276 023 | 10 098 | 236 359 | 20 569 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 308 176 | 7 999 | 254 814 | 45 363 |
| Free State | 74 865 | 2 688 | 62 737 | 9 440 |
| Eastern Cape | 191 060 | 10 229 | 177 388 | 3 443 |
| Limpopo | 56 059 | 1 246 | 49 340 | 5 473 |
| Mpumalanga | 62 047 | 912 | 55 924 | 5 211 |
| North West | 55 591 | 927 | 40 473 | 14 191 |
| Northern Cape | 31 387 | 560 | 27 027 | 3 800 |
| Unallocated | 0 |
COVID-19 updates: South Africa
As per the Bloomberg Index, South Africa is officially the “second-worst place to be during COVID-19â€. Not surprisingly, considering our lockdown protocols, curfews, and – as Tom Head puts it – “politically connected individuals raiding the state coffers for PPE kick-backsâ€.
“Three alcohol bans, five months of tobacco prohibition, a government-regulated list of what clothes you’re can buy during Level 4 – and even an attempt to ‘have everyone in bed’ by 21:00 on New Year’s Eve. Lockdown has been tough on millions of South Africansâ€
Tom Head, TheSouthAfrican.com
We also have SONA to look forward to, and the 2021 version might be unlike anything we’ve seen in the country before. The State of the Nation Address for this year is scheduled to take place on 11 February.
This year’s address will be a hybrid sitting, and there won’t be any red carpet fashion show or the procession of the three arms of state to look forward to. No military parade, no 21-gun salute. Andrea Chothia writes:
“In strict adherence to the National State of Disaster regulations, this year’s SONA will take the form of a hybrid joint sitting, with no more than 50 Members of Parliament, representatives from the Judiciary and the Executive in the physical chamber and the rest of this category connecting virtuallyâ€.Â
Global statistics
At the time of publishing, the global caseload currently stands at 101,322,787 as of Wednesday 27 January 2021, along with 2,180,196 recorded deaths and 73,182,376 recoveries.
The USA has a caseload of 26,125,276 confirmed cases, along with 438,421 total deaths and 15,862,409 recoveries. More than 110,000 new cases were recorded over the last 24 hours.
Also in the top five is worst-affected countries is India with a caseload of 10,701,427 while Brazil has a caseload of 8,996,876, Russia with 3,774,672 and the UK with 3,715,054.
France, which used to occupy the fifth spot, dropped down to sixth place. South Africa is currently 15th on the list, preceded by Poland, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Turkey.
Also read: COVID-19: ‘Vaccine nationalism’ could cost the global economy – WHO
