South Africa’s noticeable drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal that the country’s dramatic Omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say. covid19 SouthAfrica Omicron
South Africa’s noticeable drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal that the country’s dramatic Omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say.
No lap: A child greets Santa through a plastic shield in a shopping centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.After hitting a high of nearly 27,000 new cases nationwide last Thursday, the numbers dropped to about 15,424 on Tuesday. In Gauteng province — the most populous with 16 million people, including the largest city, Johannesburg, and the capital, Pretoria — the decrease started earlier and has continued.
Significantly more transmissible, Omicron quickly achieved dominance in South Africa. An estimated 90 per cent of COVID-19 cases in Gauteng province since mid-November have been due to the variant, according to tests.And the world seems to be quickly following, with Omicron already surpassing the Delta variant as the dominant coronavirus strain in some countries.
In another sign the surge may be receding, a study of healthcare professionals who tested positive for COVID-19 at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto shows a rapid increase and then a quick decline in cases. “In terms of the massive everyday doubling that we were seeing just over a week ago with huge numbers, that seems to have settled,” said Professor Veronica Uekermann, head of the COVID-19 response team at Steve Biko Academic Hospital.
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