South Africa News

Health Minister Phaahla: Omicron variant spreads as COVID cases rise

Health Minister Joe Phaahla said COVID-19 cases were rising rapidly countrywide with the Omicron variant spreading.

The variant has been detected in more than 76 countries so far.

The minister was speaking at a press briefing on Friday morning updating South Africans on government’s latest efforts on the fight against COVID-19.

Phaahla said all nine provinces were essentially in the fourth wave even though technically, the Northern Cape was still entering the wave.

He said Gauteng was still reporting the highest number of new cases daily and the number of cases had risen especially in coastal provinces.

“The number of cases in the fourth wave exceeded the peaks of the third, second and first waves. The weekly average of new infections of more than 37 per 100,000 of the population.”

Phaahla added that the positivity rate has risen steeply across the country, with Thursday’s positivity average rate of 31%.

“Eight provinces yesterday recorded a positivity rate of 30% and above. It is only Gauteng that was below 30%.”

HIGHEST NUMBERS SINCE THE START OF COVID-19

On Wednesday, South Africa recorded the highest number of infections the country has ever seen in the pandemic, driven by the rapid spread of Omicron, said Michelle Groome, of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

“The hospitalisations are not increasing at such a dramatic rate,” she told a news conference.

“We are starting to see some increases, but relatively small increases in deaths.”

Wassila Jassat, also from the NICD, said the number of people requiring oxygen was “lower than what it was in comparison to any of the previous wave periods.”

“Patients do seem to stay for a shorter duration,” she said.

Phaahla said that the data did not mean that Omicron was less virulent, but rather than vaccines were preventing serious illness.

“It’s probably due to significant vaccine coverage,” particularly among older people, he said.

About 31% of the population is fully vaccinated, but the number rises to 66% for people over 60. Older people are most at risk of developing serious symptoms.

The highly mutated Omicron strain was first detected in South Africa and Botswana last month, sparking global panic over fears that it is more contagious than other variants.

With more than three million cases, South Africa is by far the hardest-hit country on the continent.

-EWN

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