Covid cases increases rapidly in South Africa, President says emergence of Omicron was inevitable

South Africa – The President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa said the number of covid cases has increased five-fold in the past week. Cyril Ramaphosa said that as the country heads into a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, the country is experiencing a rate of infections that they have not seen since the coronavirus pandemic started.  He further said that the emergence of the new Omicron variant was inevitable.

Now, South Africa is preparing its hospitals for additional admissions because of the new variant of covid-19. The omicron variant navigates the country into a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections. Joe Phaahla, the Health Minister of South Africa recently said that the country was witnessing the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cyril Ramaphosa on Omicron variant

Ramaphosa said scientists in South Africa and around the world are still working hard to answer crucial questions about the new Omicron variant. The Omicron covid variant is much deadlier than other variants. It is also spreading faster than the other variants.

People who are vaccinated are also getting infected by this new variant. Earlier, WHO (World Health Organisation) also said it will take time to determine the effect of the omicron variant. Several countries have already imposed new travel restrictions on passengers traveling from Southern Africa countries. On this, Ramaphosa said the travel restrictions are affecting the economy of the country as it relies on tourism.

The president urged the citizens of South Africa to not wait for stricter lockdown regulations. He further requested them to get vaccinated and take precautions to ensure safety. He said that scientific evidence shows that vaccination is the most effective way for preventing the spread of coronavirus infection. On Monday, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases reported that there were 86,728 active Covid-19 cases across South Africa.