South Africa keeps vibrant curbs at ‘lowest’ level
Johannesburg:
South Africa’s National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) has maintained a ‘modified level 1’ lockdown, or the lowest level of a five-level restriction system, in the fight over the Omicron variant, the health authority economy said on Thursday.
Over the past few days, South Africa has reported more than 20,000 new COVID-19 cases daily, but scientists have not seen any indication that this variant causes more severe illness.
“The council has directed the department to closely monitor the growing COVID-19 cases,” the health ministry said in a statement, adding that it would also monitor hospitalization and death rates. and recovery.
All of these factors are primarily driven by the Omicron variant, the variant that is contributing to the fourth wave of infections, it added.
The decision follows the Council’s deliberation on safety measures recommended by the department to prevent any increase in infections during the festive period, it said.
South Africa, the country hardest hit by the pandemic on the African continent in terms of confirmed infections and deaths, alerted the world to Omicron in November, triggering warnings that it could cause an increase in infections globally.
Scientists suspect that Omicron is more contagious due to its rapid spread, but say it is too early to draw precise conclusions about the severity of the disease it causes.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)