Fewer people infected with the Omicron variant of coronavirus appear to die or require hospital treatment than in earlier waves of the disease, South African health officials as confirmed.
The South African health Minister Joe Phaahla said the data did not mean that Omicron was less virulent, but rather that vaccines were preventing serious illness.
Health ministers from the G7 countries have called for international cooperation in the face of Omicron, saying it is the “biggest current threat to global public health”.
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South Africa has so far recorded 3.26 million cases of covid-19, including 90,262 deaths.