According to Health Minister Joe Phaahla, South Africa is experiencing a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections caused by the Omicron form, which has been found in seven of the country's nine provinces, according to Reuters.
Omicron, which has sparked global fears of an outbreak, was first discovered in southern Africa last month, prompting governments throughout the globe to enact travel restrictions and other measures to combat it.
At a press conference, Phaahla expressed hope that the virus could be managed without causing too many deaths.
He advised South Africans to get fully vaccinated, saying the country will be able to handle the fourth wave without imposing tougher lockdown restrictions over the holidays.
"If we all just perform our fundamental obligations of safety measures, but also if more and more of us who are eligible... attend their nearest vaccination facilities," Phaahla added, "we can still manage this in a way that government doesn't have to implement major restrictions over the next several days."
South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases' top scientist Michelle Groome stated at the briefing that Omicron was causing a "unprecedented spike" in infections in a short period of time.
She also stated that the illnesses were spreading from the younger to the older age groups.
The WHO has classified Omicron as a "variant of concern," and scientists are still gathering information to determine how contagious it is and the severity of the illness it causes.
The WHO has classified Omicron as a "variant of concern," and scientists are still gathering information to determine how contagious it is and the severity of the illness it causes.
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