COVID-19 OMICRON SUB-VARIANT SPREADING RAPIDLY

By-line: Bongiwe Malaza 

Email:bongiwezenande2105@gmail.com

Twitter: BongiweM

 

South Africa was not spared of the Covid-19 Omicron sub-variant’s highly infectious disease and its rapid spread. Denmark and India were some of the first countries to experience this new sub-variant, and now it is spreading in our country like wildfire. Covid-19 BA.2 (sub-variant of Omicron) was detected in South Africa in February, but experts say it is not cause for concern, if people get vaccinated and perform non-pharmaceutical actions like mask wearing and regularly washing your hands.

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) ‘Covid-19 Technical Lead’, Dr Maria Van Kerhove, warned that this new Omicron sub-variant would increase the number of infections around the world. Dr Kerhove emphasised that the only fighting chance the global community has against covid-19 is through vaccinations. She also cautioned people against losing eagerness in fighting this deadly virus.

 

  (WHO video | Dr Maria Van Kerhove – Twitter like)

 South Africa’s infection rates have soared, and as of 5 May 2022, the daily infection rate flew to 9 757 confirmed and new covid-19 infections, 48 672 active cases and 37 618 tests were conducted in the same period. Interestingly, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) found that the virus lives in human faeces as well. “Individuals infected with COVID-19 shed SARS-CoV-2 virus in their faeces whether they have symptoms or not. Through wastewater monitoring, any ongoing transmission of the virus within a community " , NICD scientists found .


(NICD PIC, infection stats for 5 May 2022 – Twitter like)

 There are high covid-19 infection numbers and active cases, but deaths are not as high during this Omicron variant period, as they were during the Delta variant period. Deaths at this stage of the pandemic are avoidable, people just need to vaccinate and wear masks. It has been found that people who die or experience severe symptoms in ICU, are those who are unvaccinated.

 

 (Pic, healthza stats Twitter like)

https://youtu.be/3vNpOocW038

 

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