vaccinated covid

Joe Phaahla addresses an audience in Kenya – Photo: GCIS

Will SA’s Omicron rates surge at Christmas? It depends where you live…

For many, Omicron poses a significant threat to the festive jol – but Christmas could come with fewer disruptions in some parts of SA.

vaccinated covid

Joe Phaahla addresses an audience in Kenya – Photo: GCIS

Health Minister Joe Phaahla has shared some good news and some bad news with us all on Wednesday. As the festive holidays draw ever closer, South Africa is spending its second Christmas under a cloud of COVID-19 – and this latest Omicron variant is threatening to derail the seasonal chair.

Omicron updates for South Africa, Wednesday 15 December

Case rates for the new strain are starting to take off across South Africa, after making their presence felt in Gauteng. There’s a general consensus that those coming down with Omicron are experiencing mild symptoms.

However, this mutation is highly transmissible, and it’s behind a recent rise in hospitalisations too. Trying to get the balance right in terms of lockdown restrictions, where lives play-off against livelihoods, could prove rather difficult in the days to come – another family on Omicron is expected to take place ‘within days’.

What will COVID-19 rates be like over Christmas?

It depends where you live, really. Joe Phaahla has suggested that the initial wave seems to have ‘peaked’ in Gauteng, long known as the Omicron epicentre of the world. For the other eight provinces, however, a high infection rate is likely to cause a few functional issues for family and friends heading into the new year.

  • Pending more data, Phaahla says Gauteng HAS reached its Omicron peak. But rates are rising in other provinces.
  • COVID-19 cases are set to continue accelerating across the country, as Gauteng is predicted to ‘stabilise downwards’.
  • The Health Minister believes that the ‘milder outcomes’ of Omicron infections will help manage hospital numbers.
  • Hospital stays have decreased from an average of 15 to 20 days in the Delta wave, down to ‘four or five’ days now.
  • Phaahla also reiterated the need for unvaccinated citizens to take the plunge and get their jabs.

Jabbing against Omicron

Phaahla was in attendance at the Zwartkops Vaccination Site in Gauteng, a drive-through centre that allows motorists to park up and get their jabs as they go about their day. He remains confident about riding out the Omicron wave.