South Africa readies hospitals as Omicron variant drives new COVID-19 wave By Reuters

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South Africa is getting ready its hospitals for extra admissions, because the Omicron coronavirus variant pushes the nation right into a fourth wave of COVID-19 circumstances, President Cyril Ramaphosa mentioned on Monday.

Omicron was first detected in southern Africa final month and has triggered international alarm as governments concern one other surge in infections.

South Africa’s each day infections surged final week to greater than 16,000 on Friday from roughly 2,300 on Monday.

Ramaphosa mentioned in a weekly publication that Omicron seemed to be dominating new circumstances in a lot of the nation’s 9 provinces and urged extra folks to get vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19.

“South Africa now has adequate provides of vaccines, … vaccination is important for our financial restoration as a result of as extra persons are vaccinated extra areas of financial exercise can be opened up,” he mentioned.

The federal government would quickly convene the Nationwide Coronavirus Command Council to overview the state of the pandemic and resolve whether or not additional measures are wanted to maintain folks protected, Ramaphosa mentioned.

Scientists in South Africa and different international locations are racing to ascertain whether or not Omicron is extra contagious, causes extra extreme illness and is extra proof against current vaccines.

However some anecdotal accounts from docs and specialists in South Africa are reassuring, suggesting that many infections it causes are gentle.

“We’re retaining an in depth eye on the charges of an infection and hospitalisation,” Ramaphosa mentioned.