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We Are Entering 4th Wave Of COVID-19 Due To Omicron Variant: South Africa

Mumbai: Health Minister Joe Fahla said on Friday that South Africa is being hit by the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, driven by the Omicron edition, which has been detected in seven of the country’s nine provinces.

Omicron, which has sparked global fears of a surge in infections, was first detected in southern Africa last month and has prompted governments across the continent to impose travel restrictions and take other measures to contain it.

Fahla told a media briefing that he hopes the version can be managed without too many deaths.

He urged South Africans to be fully vaccinated, saying the country could manage the fourth wave at Christmas without strict lockdown restrictions.

“We can still manage it in a way where the government doesn’t have to impose severe restrictions over the next few days if we all meet our basic duties of safety measures, but also if more and more of us who are eligible … approach their nearest vaccination sites,” Phaahla said.

Michelle Groom, a top scientist at South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases, told the briefing that the country was facing an “unprecedented increase” in infections in a short period of time due to Omicron.

He said that infection is increasing from young to old people also.

He said it is important to prepare to include pediatric beds and staff as there has been an increase in the admission of children below the age of four years.

Omicron is listed as a “type of concern” by the WHO and scientists are still collecting data to establish how contagious Omicron is, and the severity of the illness it causes.

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