The Health Department’s ongoing audit has confirmed 18 previously unreported deaths linked to COVID-19.

These fatalities take our death toll to closer to 10,000.

South Africa also racked up 1,898 new infections over the latest 24-hour reporting cycle, a positivity rate of 6.3%.

Meanwhile, health minister Joe Phaahla says there are increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases among children aged between 10 and 14. Phaahla says scientists initially believed it was related to the reopening of schools, but the number of positive cases is not declining.

So far, just over 31.7 million vaccines have been administered in the country.