South Africans can thank Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla that the country is not being subjected to stricter lockdown measures amid record-high Covid-19 infections
The number of new infections has surpassed previous records every day since Tuesday – yet hospital admissions are significantly lower than with previous waves.
The rest of the Cabinet was very concerned because other countries where Omicron is spreading rapidly are imposing stricter measures. We are also asking all South Africans to celebrate responsibly, especially with regard to alcohol use. The lower death rate is also evident from data on “excess deaths” from the Medical Research Council . With the previous three Covid-19 waves, “excess deaths” – true deaths due to natural causes compared to the expectation based on historical data – skyrocketed.With the second wave during the week of January 3, 8 732 people aged under 60 died – almost double the “normal” 4 455.
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