There are still a number of things about the variant that we do not know, and that scientists in South Africa and elsewhere in the world are still hard at work to establish.
Over the next few days and weeks, as more data becomes available, we will have a better understanding of:
- whether Omicron is transmitted more easily between people,
- whether it increases the risk of reinfection,
- whether the variant causes more severe disease, and,
- how effective the current vaccines are against the variant Omicron.
The identification of Omicron coincides with a sudden rise in COVID-19 infections.
This increase has been centred in Gauteng, although cases are also rising in other provinces.
We have seen an average of 1,600 new cases in the last 7 days, compared to just 500 new daily cases in the previous week, and 275 new daily cases the week before that.
The proportion of COVID-19 tests that are positive has risen from around 2 per cent to 9 per cent in less than a week.
This is an extremely sharp rise in infections in a short space of time.
If cases continue to climb, we can expect to enter a fourth wave of infections within the next few weeks, if not sooner.
This should not come as a surprise.
Epidemiologists and disease modellers have told us that we should expect a fourth wave in early December.
Scientists have also told us to expect the emergence of new variants.
There are several concerns about the Omicron variant, and we are still not sure exactly how it will behave going forward.
However, we already have the tools that we need to protect ourselves against it.
We know enough about the variant to know what we need to do to reduce transmission and to protect ourselves against severe disease and death.
The first, the most powerful, tool we have is vaccination.
Since the first COVID-19 vaccines became available late last year, we have seen how vaccines have dramatically reduced severe illness, hospitalisation and death in South Africa and across the world.
Vaccines do work. Vaccines are saving lives.
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