New Covid-19 variant confirmed in SA
Department of Health minister Dr Joe Phaala emphasises the importance of vaccination as a new Covid-19 variant has been detected in South Africa.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) on November 25 confirmed that a new Covid-19 variant, B.1.1.529, has been detected in South Africa.
According to the institute’s acting executive director Professor Adrian Puren, it is not surprising to see that a new variant has been detected in South Africa.
“Although the data are limited, our experts are working overtime with all the established surveillance systems to understand the new variant and what the potential implications could be.
“Developments are occurring at a rapid pace and the public has our assurance that we will keep them up to date.”
B.1.1.529 has been detected in 22 positive cases to date.
While restrictions remain unchanged for the time being, Health Minister Dr Joe Phaala stressed the importance of vaccination.
“The more individuals vaccinate, the less opportunities there are for Covid-19 variants to emerge,” said Phaala.
This follows reports by the department on November 22 that it has observed an increase in the seven-day average for new Covid-19 cases and the percentage testing positive in Gauteng – particularly in Tshwane among 10 to 29-year-olds.
“Localised increases in case numbers (clusters) are not unexpected, however, it is hard to say whether the increases indicate the start of a widespread resurgence,” said Puren.
As of November 25, the department recorded an increase of 2 465 cases in the last 24 hours, which brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 2 952 500.
A further 114 deaths have been reported, bringing the total number of fatalities to 89 771.
The cumulative number of recoveries now stands at 2 843 961 with a 96.3% recovery rate.
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