In South Africa, where cases of Sars-CoV-2 contamination are increasing with the new variant, a peak in infections among children was reported by health authorities on Friday, December 3, without being able to say whether Omicron them. touches more. For hospital admissions, “we are registering a fairly strong increase in all age groups, and particularly among those under 5”, said Wassila Jassat, public health specialist at the South African National Institute for Contagious Diseases (NICD).
“The incidence among those under 5 is now the second highest, just behind those over 60.”
Wassila Jassat, public health specialistPress conference
The number of positive cases is also increasing among 10-14 year olds in this country with a particularly young demography, as in Africa in general. One third of South Africa’s population is under the age of 18. Scientists put forward several possible reasons. Children under 12 are not eligible for the vaccine in South Africa and it is possible that if children are not vaccinated and neither are parents, the whole family is infected, according to Wassila Jassat.
In the province of Gauteng, economic heart of South Africa with the metropolis Johannesburg and the administrative capital Pretoria, the virus is spreading faster than at any other time of the pandemic, according to the chief of public health from NICD, Michelle Groome. “Preliminary data suggests that Omicron is more contagious”, did she say. The day before, South African scientists reported that the possibility of catching Covid-19, despite antibodies from a first infection, was three times higher with Omicron, compared to the Delta or Beta variant. Although patients tend to have milder symptoms, Michelle Groome believes that the most severe cases are not expected until the next fortnight.
Over 8.6 million cases of # COVID19 have been recorded on the African continent – with a total of over 8.1 million healings & 223,000 deaths.
Consult the data by country on the WHO dashboard for the African Region: https://t.co/OLDIVVIePA pic.twitter.com/DLBQyH01s4
– WHO Africa (@OMS_Afrique) December 1, 2021
South Africa recorded 11,535 new cases on 2 December, mainly in Gauteng. That is five times more than the previous week, when South African scientists alerted the rest of the world to the existence of a new variant, since named Omicron.