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Covid-19 round-up: Increase in mild infections for vaccinated people, likely

Professor Shabir Madhi says the mutations identified will become relatively resistant to anti-body activity induced from past infection and vaccination.

With little known about the new Omicron, Covid-19 variant, Professor Shabir Madhi says it is likely to cause an increase in mild infections in vaccinated people.

Madhi, in an interview with MyHealth360, said the Omicron variant is currently the dominant variant in Gauteng and is disseminating widely. “It has been identified in other provinces and in up to 15 other countries,” he said. 

Vaccine effectiveness against Omicron

With uncertainty surrounding the vaccine’s effectiveness against the Omicron variant, Madhi says firm evidence should be received in the next four to five weeks.

“I believe that we are going to see that vaccines and past infections are not going to perform too well in preventing re-infection and we will see a breakthrough in new infections, in large numbers, in those who have been vaccinated,” he said.

Madhi added that the mutations identified will become relatively resistant to anti-body activity induced from past infection and vaccination. “When it comes to mild infections, we are going to see a large number of cases,” he said.

Increase in figures

As the country enters its fourth wave of infections, South Africa’s daily Covid-19 stats doubled on Thursday, from the previous day with 8,561 new cases reported. On Wednesday, that number was almost halved at 4 373, and government have since urged unvaccinated people to get the jab.

Rage Festivals cancelled

Both the Ballito and Plettenberg Bay Rage Festivals were cancelled this week due to positive Covid-19 tests. 

The Ballito Rage Festival was cancelled on Wednesday due to 32 guests and 4 staff testing positive for Covid-19 and calls continued for its sister event in Plettenberg Bay to follow suit, with concerns over its potential of being a super-spreader event.

Organisers of the Plett Rage Festival cancelled the event on Thursday, saying the alarming number of positive cases reported by customers shook them to their core

The Plett festival was scheduled to start today and continue through to next Tuesday. 

“Almost all schools set to attend Plett Rage have positive cases. Based on the trajectory of this virus, this is only a tiny percentage of what we are now certain will show up. The numbers are only going to increase rapidly. Although we, as organisers, have implemented the most stringent COVID-19 preventive measures, there was no way to preempt the devastation that the current surge of COVID-19 cases nationally would cause,” a statement read. 

Daily stats

As of December 2, there were 11 535 new Covid-19 cases identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of positive cases to 2 988 148.

With a further 44 Covid-19 related deaths recorded, the total number of deaths was at 89 915. Recoveries stood at 2 850 905.

A total of 26 109 436 vaccines have been administered.


*Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).

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Raeesa Sempe

Raeesa Sempe is a Caxton Award-winning Digital Editor with nine years’ experience in the industry. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and started her journey as a community journalist for the Polokwane Review in 2015. She then became the online journalist for the Review in 2016 where she excelled in solidifying the Review’s digital footprint through Facebook lives, content creation and marketing campaigns. Raeesa then moved on to become the News Editor of the Bonus Review in 2019 and scooped up the Editorial Employee of the Year award in the same year. She is the current Digital Editor of the Polokwane Review-Observer, a position she takes pride in. Raeesa is married with one child and enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music and baking – when she has the time. “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." – Tom Stoppard

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