The National Institute For Communicable Diseases (NICD) has confirmed that a “new COVID-19 variant, B.1.1.529, has been detected in South Africa,” ENCA announced.
The new “Super Variant” has been detected in two other countries, Hong Kong and Botswana. It is said to have an extreme number of mutations. Experts have not yet confirmed whether current vaccines are effective against the latest version of the virus.
Experts have warned that the latest variant is rampant in Gauteng, South Africa’s most densely populated province, and may be present in other provinces as well.
Despite urgent vaccination campaigns, cases of infection have been on the rise following the end of the third wave in September.
On Wednesday the NICD noted that the cumulative number of COVID19 cases identified in South Africa was 2 950 035 with 1 275 new cases reported.
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Twenty-two lives were lost due to the virus bringing the total number of people lost throughout the pandemic to 89 657. The cumulative number of recoveries now stands at 2 839 768 with a recovery rate of 96,3%
Dr Michelle Groome, Head of the Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response at the NICD, said that provincial health authorities were “on high alert and are prioritizing the sequencing of COVID-19 positive samples.”
Dr Michelle Groome also noted that “regardless of the emergence of new COVID-19 variants, the importance of non-pharmaceutical interventions remains unchanged and the public is urged to be responsible.”
She urged people to “get vaccinated, wear masks, practice healthy hand hygiene, maintain social distancing, and gather in well-ventilated spaces.”