Omicron
latest news & developments
Covid-19: Centaurus variant mild but spreads rapidly, vaccinate the vulnerable, experts say
Only the costly N95 mask works and achieving a high penetration of Covid-19 booster vaccination is ‘the only effective strategy’, says virologist Shabir Madhi
Sub-Saharan Africa children show higher Covid-19 death rate than elsewhere
Infants younger than one year in Africa have nearly five times the risk of death than those aged 15 to 19 years after contracting the virus
Blood supply is critically low and a rise in demand looms, says the blood service
Instead of reaching a daily target of 3 500 litres, the South African National Blood Service is collecting only 2 300 litres
Putin says Russia has two weeks to prepare for Omicron wave
Russia has lifted nearly all the restrictions designed to limit new cases, despite an increasing caseload and growing Omicron infections
China and Omicron are the wild cards for the global economy and financial markets
Lockdown restrictions will continue to disrupt global value chains and support rising inflation that will require aggressive rate hikes
2022: A return to normality or more economic uncertainty?
Covid-19 cast the economy adrift, but a less punishing new phase of the pandemic could set it back on track
Curfew lifted as South Africa’s Omicron-fuelled fourth wave subsides
During the surge in December, only a marginal increase in Covid-19 deaths was noted, while hospitalisation rates were lower than in previous waves, the presidency statement said
Health department suspends revised Covid-19 quarantine and contact tracing protocols
A revised circular will be released once the department has taken additional input into consideration.
WHO warns of ‘very high’ Omicron risk as Covid surges worldwide
Europe was again one of the hotspots for the pandemic, which is known to have claimed more than 5.4-million lives around the world.
Scientists hopeful future Covid variants will be less severe
The lower severity of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 indicates that a stronger immune response has been built over time
How your body can protect you from getting sick with Omicron
Omicron’s many mutations allow it to duck our body’s natural defence, but the immune system has a some tricks to prevent you from getting severely ill
How quickly Omicron is spreading in South Africa?
The Omicron variant’s spread across South Africa has already surpassed the peak of the Delta-driven third wave. Here’s what the data tells us so far about how quickly Omicron…
World Economic Forum ‘will defer’ Davos meeting over Omicron fears
The high-powered meeting scheduled for January 17-21 will instead be held in “early summer”, the organisers said.
Airline association welcomes UK travel red list U-turn on Africa
The UK will remove South Africa and other African countries it recently placed on its travel red list at midnight on Wednesday
Current Covid-19 wave less fatal than others, says World Health Organisation
A study by the World Health Organisation found that there was a 66% surge in new Covid-19 cases during the past week in South Africa