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Several countries have entered another lockdown to stop the spread of the virus, such as Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, many of which have fewer coronavirus cases than South Africa at the moment.
An information poster on the use of face masks and social distancing measures, as well as the prohibition of alcoholic beverages during certain hours during the new coronavirus pandemic, is seen in the southern German city of Nuremberg, on October 28, 2020. Image: AFP
JOHANNESBURG – South African scientists are concerned about the speed with which the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading in Europe, noting similarities in the factors driving a second wave.
Several countries have entered another lockdown to stop the spread of the virus, such as Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, many of which have fewer coronavirus cases than South Africa at the moment.
Many expect it to be a dark and gloomy December holiday if the number of cases continues to rise at a rapid rate in Europe, once again the epicenter of the pandemic.
“I was talking to my counterpart in Belgium and I anticipated that by next week they will not have enough hospital beds,” said Professor Salim Abdool Karim.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reached crisis levels again in some parts of Europe and South African experts like Karim are closely following developments.
He said that there were three factors that were driving this second wave in European countries; complacency when it comes to preventative measures, “super spreader” events, and people letting their guard down during the holiday period.
He hopes that South Africa does not reach the level of crisis that is gripping Europe: “Partly because we are now much better prepared, we have the options of field hospitals. Our hospitals are much better organized now and we will be able to cope with even a sudden increase. “
Wits vaccines professor Shabir Madhi said that while he believed that the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in South Africa could follow a different pattern compared to Europe, South Africa could draw lessons from this.
“What we can learn from Europe is that when people become more complacent, they will experience a resurgence. But what we cannot do is adapt the European system to the resurgence of South Africa. “
Madhi insists that a second wave in South Africa will be less severe than the one experienced during the first peak in winter when the country recorded an average of 10,000 new infections daily.
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