Health Minister Phaahla: Rise in COVID cases suggests SA entering 5th wave

Health Minister Joe Phaahla said that there were conflicting opinions on whether the country had entered a fifth wave but there had definitely been a rise in coronavirus infections.

The minister has given details on the rising COVID-19 numbers, saying that the Omicron variant still appeared to be dominating infections.

He said that scientists had not noticed a new variant yet.

“We’ve also been informed that when the new wave comes it will be driven by a new variant but at this stage, we have not been alerted to a definite new variant, except changes in the Omicron, which is now just a sub-variant of Omicron.”

The minister said that with infections rising to over 6,000 a day, the country looked to be ultimately heading towards a fifth wave of infections.

“Whichever way we look at it, it does suggest that we may be entering the fifth wave much earlier and possibly we just have to wait a few more days, maybe another seven days, to be sure that this was not just a sporadic uptick,” Minister Phaahla said.

He also said that three provinces were particularly affected, accounting for 87% of cases.

“Gauteng province alone accounted for 53% of the positive cases, KwaZulu-Natal 23% and the Western Cape 11%,” the minister said.

-EWN

In other news – Unathi Nkayi under fire over what she was wearing at SA Fashion Week launch party – Photos

Ex-SA Idols judge Unathi Nkayi has found herself being mocked on social media after images of her outfit were shared on social media.

Unathi Nkayi was one of the many celebs that attended the SA Fashion Week launch party. She caught heat on the red carpet as tweeps trashed her look. Unathi, who was clad in denim, Learn More