“This variant is mostly in Gauteng province, the Johannesburg area of South Africa. We all are terribly concerned about this virus,” Professor Willem Hanekom, director of the Africa Health Research Institute, told The Associated Press. The World Health Organization looked at the data on Friday and named the variant omicron, under its system of using Greek letters, calling it a highly transmissible variant of concern. The new variant has a high number of mutations that appear to make it more transmissible and help it evade immune responses. ![]() Early studies show that it has a reproduction rate of 2 - meaning that every person infected by it is likely to spread it to two other people. ![]() Studying the surge, scientists identified the new variant that diagnostic tests indicate is likely responsible for as many as 90% of the new cases, according to South Africa’s health officials. What looked like a cluster infection among some university students in Pretoria ballooned into hundreds of new cases and then thousands, first in the capital city and then to nearby Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city. we need to have critical care beds ready.” “The worst case scenario is that it hits us like delta. “We know we have a new variant,” said Mathivha. She said urgent preparations are needed to enable public hospitals to cope with a potential large influx of patients needing intensive care. “I’m worried that as the numbers go up, the public health care facilities will become overwhelmed.” ![]() About 65% are not vaccinated and most of the rest are only half-vaccinated,” said Mathivha. “Young people, in their 20s to just over their late 30s, are coming in with moderate to severe disease, some needing intensive care.
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