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South Africa is struggling to contain a second wave of Covid-19 infections that appears to be driven by a new and more infectious variant of the disease, similar to that in the UK.
Scientists and officials have warned the country’s 56 million people that the new variant, known as 501.V2, has a heavier viral load and appears to be more prevalent among young people.
“It is still very early, but at this stage, preliminary data suggests that the virus that now dominates in the second wave is spreading faster than the first wave,” said Professor Salim Abdool Karim, chair of the ministerial advisory committee (MAC ) of the government. , said.
South Africa may see “many more cases” in the new wave than it experienced earlier this year, Abdool Karim said.
MAC member Professor Ian Sanne said that the variant detected in South Africa was not the same as that identified in the UK.
“There are two different viruses, but they are different variants of the same coronavirus strain,” Sanne told local media.
Five countries, including Switzerland and Germany, have banned flights from South Africa to stop the spread of the variant.
South Africa has recorded 931,000 cases of Covid-19, with nearly 25,000 deaths, according to official statistics. Studies of excess mortality suggest a death toll of more than 56,000.
After a first wave peaked in July and August, the daily total of new cases dropped dramatically. However, the number of new infections began to rise sharply in early December, reaching 11,000 earlier this week.
Dr Richard Lessells, a leading infectious disease expert in South Africa, said it was not yet clear how effective existing vaccines would be against the variant. Another concern was the possibility of reinfection of people who had already contracted Covid-19.
“There are a few more concerns with our variant [than that in the UK] for the vaccine… But now we are doing careful and methodical work in the laboratory to answer all the questions we have, and that takes time, ”he said.
South Africa has more than 8,500 people being treated in hospital with Covid-19, beating the previous record of 8,300 recorded in August.
In the Western Cape province, once a popular destination for vacationers and tourists, public and private hospitals are filling up fast.
The current of the province The seven-day average for new infections is 2,950, substantially more than the most intense period of the first wave when it was 1,623. More than one in three tests carried out in the province are positive.
Researchers say the South African variant emerged in Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape province, where health services are among the weakest in the country.
“This lineage spread rapidly, becoming within weeks the dominant lineage in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces. While the full significance of the mutations has not yet been determined, genomic data, showing rapid displacement of other lineages, suggests that this lineage may be associated with increased transmissibility, “said a research paper published this week.
Vaccines for 3% to 10% of the population are unlikely to be available for at least six months, experts believe.
The South African government has so far responded with very limited control measures: cutting days and hours for the alcohol trade, imposing tighter restrictions on mass gatherings, and closing a number of popular beaches. Officials have renewed calls for the use of face masks, social distancing and hand washing.
Few local experts believe that these measures alone will be able to stop the spread of the variant, but the government’s options are limited. A strict lockdown in March slowed the outbreak, but at a very high economic and social cost.
There have been more than 2.5 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 on the African continent, with more than 2 million recoveries and 59,000 cumulative deaths. according to the World Health Organization.
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