The latest variant of concern - Omicron - has become dominant in South Africa and is resulting in a steep rise in new cases, stated health officials.

Around 11,500 fresh COVID-19 cases were reported in the latest daily figures, which represents a sharp rise from 8,500 cases reported on the previous day. Daily cases were being reported at an average of 200 to 300 in mid-November, stated a leading South African scientist.

While previous infection protected against Delta, it does not seem to be true with Omicron, said Anne von Gottberg, a microbiologist at South Africa′s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). Prof Salim Abdool Karim of the Africa Task Force for Coronavirus said that the scenario will not become clear until people get so sick that they require hospitalization, which is usually after three to four weeks. However, he said that there don’t seem to be any red flags for now… (BBC, December 2, 2021)