Barry Schoub, a leading virologist, has said South Africa should brace itself for a further wave of COVID-19 infections, possibly towards the end of September, adding that the biggest challenge is the low vaccine uptake.
“Unfortunately, we will always have the coronavirus. The virus mutates. Certainly we will have another wave, probably at the end of next month. We hope it will be much milder. People who are not vaccinated should get the jab because COVID-19 is not over,” he told eNCA.
The national State of Disaster was lifted on 5 April after its implementation in April 2020. More than 4m COVID-19 cases have been reported in the country to date.
Shabir Madhi, professor of vaccinology at Wits University, recently tweeted that although extensive immunity evolved against severe infection in SA, it came at a cost of 300 000 deaths with a mortality rate of 500 per 100 000 (among the top 10 globally).
“The pandemic might not be over and countries with low population immunity remain at risk in most of Africa, with multiple studies reporting 90% seropositivity mainly from infection post-Omicron, very much over the acute phase,” he said. Vaccine access continues to matter, especially for high-risk groups in Africa, he added.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Fewer COVID deaths predicted for Africa this year – WHO
Nearly everyone in SA has COVID antibodies – SANBS study
Crisp: Unjabbed will ‘bear the brunt’, as infections rise and vaccinations stall
NICD statistics: COVID cases rise as two Omicron sub-lineages spread across SA