South Africa says its Omicron Covid wave has subsided with no significant increase in deaths as it scraps some coronavirus restrictions
- Omicron Covid wave appears to have peaked, South Africa’s president has said
- Cases have fallen consistently since December 17 when they hit pandemic high
- Despite cases hitting record, deaths have come nowhere close to prior waves
- As a result, a midnight to 4am curfew is being dropped while capacity limits for indoor gatherings are also being increased to 1,000 people
South Africa has passed the peak of its Omicron Covid wave with no significant uptick in deaths and will ease some virus restrictions, the government has said.
Infection data from the country where the super-mutant strain first emerged in November shows around 10,000 cases are now being reported per day, based on a seven-day average, down from a peak of 24,000 two weeks ago.
Deaths per day have also fallen to around 50, based on a seven-day average, down from 65 a week ago. That figure is less than a tenth of South Africa’s 577 peak during January’s second wave, despite cases being higher this time around.
As a result, the government has announced that an overnight curfew – which confined people to their homes between midnight and 4am – will be lifted.
South Africa’s government says the fourth Omicron wave appears to have peaked as infections have consistently fallen since a peak on December 17
Despite cases hitting record levels during the Omicron wave, deaths have remained well below even their first wave peak when capacity to test for the virus was limited
It comes after South Africa also scrapped contact tracing and isolation for close contacts of Covid cases, provided they don’t have symptoms.
In addition to the curfew ending, alcohol shops will now be able to serve people past 11pm, and capacity limits for indoor gatherings will be increased to 1,000 people.
However, a mandate requiring face masks to be worn in all indoor and outdoor public places remains in place, and all indoor venues – including supermarkets, bars and restaurants – must adhere to strict social distancing guidelines.
If a venue is too small to accommodate 1,000 people within the social distancing guidelines then capacity must be reduced to ensure adequate space.
‘All indicators suggest the country may have passed the peak of the fourth wave,’ the South African presidency said on Thursday.
Infections dropped by almost 30 per cent last week compared to the preceding seven days while hospital admissions also declined in eight of the nine provinces.
During the spike, only a marginal increase in Covid-19 deaths was noted, it added.
‘While the Omicron variant is highly transmissible, there has been lower rates of hospitalisation than in previous waves,’ the statement said.
‘This means that the country has a spare capacity for admission of patients even for routine health services.’
South Africa’s Covid data is being closely watched by the rest of the world as governments try to get to grips with their own Omicron outbreaks, or else draw up contingency plans for what happens when the variant takes hold.
So far, data suggests the mutant strain is far more infectious than Delta – the previous most-infectious strain – has the ability to dodge some protection offered by vaccines, as well as reinfecting those who have recovered from a past infection.
However, data also suggests infections are milder than Delta, particularly among those who have been vaccinated or recovered – with symptoms being similar to those reported for colds and the flu.
The challenge for governments has been to assess whether the increase in infections will overload their health systems based on sheer weight of numbers, even if cases are less severe on average.
European leaders have reacted with a mixture of measures – some going into full lockdown, while others have avoided tough measures in favour of booster vaccines to reduce the odds of people getting seriously ill.
Omicron was first identified in South Africa and Botswana in late November.
It quickly became the dominant strain in South Africa, causing an explosion of infections with a peak by mid-December, according to official statistics.
The variant is currently present in more than 100 countries, according to the World Health Organization, and affects vaccinated people as well as those who have already had coronavirus.
South Africa has been the hardest hit by coronavirus in Africa, recording more than 3.4 million cases and 91,000 deaths – though that is largely thought to be because its data gathering systems are far more advanced than neighbouring countries.
‘The speed with which the Omicron-driven fourth wave rose, peaked and then declined has been staggering,’ Fareed Abdullah of the South African Medical Research Council said.
‘Peak in four weeks and precipitous decline in another two,’ he posted on Twitter.
While many Omicron-affected countries are reimposing virus countermeasures, South Africa announced it was reversing course just ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Calls for the midnight to 4 am curfew to be lifted had been mounting in the hospitality sector, with owners launching an online petition addressed to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
‘The curfew will be lifted. There will therefore be no restrictions on the hours of movement of people,’ the presidency’s statement said.
Alcohol sales would be permitted after 11 pm for licensed premises.
Mask-wearing remains compulsory in public spaces and public gatherings are limited to 1,000 people indoors and 2,000 outdoors.
The government continued to stress the need for caution and vaccination, however.
‘The risk of increased infections remains high given the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant,’ the presidency warned.
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