South Africa has been hit by a fourth COVID wave, largely driven by the Omicron variant. Seven of the country′s nine provinces have detected cases with the variant, said Health Minister Joe Phaahla.

The minister hoped that the variant could be managed without causing too many fatalities. He requested the citizens to get fully vaccinated, and stated that the fourth wave could be managed without stricter lockdown restrictions over Christmas.

Meanwhile, leading scientist Michelle Groome of South Africa′s National Institute for Communicable Diseases said that there has been an unprecedented increase in cases over a short period due to Omicron variant. She added that the infections were moving from the younger people into older individuals… (NDTV – Reuters, December 3, 2021)