‘Do your part, get vaxxed’: SA can manage Omicron and fourth wave, says Phaahla

The Health Ministry convened a virtual briefing on Friday morning to shed light on government’s efforts in dealing with the fourth wave of Covid-19 infections and the Omicron variant.

In terms of the recent surge in Covid-19 cases, Gauteng is the most severely affected province, followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Covid-19 fourth wave and Omicron

Another massive spike in infections

As predicted by epidemiologist Professor Salim Abdool Karim earlier this week, South Africa has now breached the 10,000-mark for daily infections, after 11,535 new cases were identified on Thursday.

Of those, 72% new cases were recorded in Gauteng, followed by the Western Cape with 6% and KwaZulu-Natal with 5%, which presents an overall positivity rate of 22.4%.

Limpopo, North West and Mpumalanga also recorded an increase in figures, with the least affected provinces being only the Free State and Eastern Cape.

Omicron’s spread in South Africa

Early data shared during Friday’s briefing shows the rapid increase in Gauteng – with Tshwane currently a region of concern.

The graph below shows a comparison between the number of Covid-19 admissions in Tshwane during the first two weeks of the third wave 9 May 2021 to 22 May 2021) and the fourth wave (14 November 2021 to 27 November 2021)

That said, additional data is needed to understand the full impact of the Omicron variant, such as the severity, transmissibility and immune escape.

Worryingly, there’s been an increase in hospital admissions, especially in children under the age of four, and in pregnant women, but more data is needed.

The variant initially affected mostly the youth but is now spreading into older age groups, as per hospitalisation data received from Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West and Eastern Cape.

‘Do your part, get vaccinated’

Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla said experts would meet again this week and additional information would be shared in due course.

In the meantime, he has called on South Africans to adhere to Covid-19 safety protocols, such as wearing a mask, sanitising and maintaining social distancing.

More importantly, he urges everyone to avoid large gatherings and to get vaccinated as soon as possible. By doing so, he says South Africa will manage the fourth wave and curb the Omicron spread.