B.1.1.529 variant Covid-19 hot-spots

Covid-19 cases increased in SA recently. Photo: Stock/Canva

COVID-19: The uptick in cases signals the start of fourth wave – expert

Wits University’s Professor Alex Van Den Heever says the change in trajectory for COVID-19 cases signals the start of a fourth wave

B.1.1.529 variant Covid-19 hot-spots

Covid-19 cases increased in SA recently. Photo: Stock/Canva

The fourth wave of COVID-19 could be much closer than we think, as a health expert reckons the latest increase in cases will only lead to an even bigger surge in infections. South Africa managed to pick up 1 275 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, 24 November 2021 – with Gauteng accounting for the lion’s share of those infections at 4 471 followed by KwaZulu-Natal which is slightly behind with 4 466.

Will Gauteng become the epicentre of the fourth wave?

Wits University’s Professor Alex Van Den Heever says the change in trajectory for COVID-19 infections signals a fourth wave of cases developing, particularly in the capital Tshwane. While health experts had long warned that the fourth wave was inevitable and would likely strike some time during the festive season, they had often stressed the need to delay it and also counter its impact by way of the usual preventative measures like social distancing, using sanitiser and wearing a mask.

Speaking to eNCA, Van Den Heever says a number of social activities could be responsible for the fourth wave of COVID-19.

“What is probably happening is there are a number of coincidental social activities that are probably driving this and we are seeing an earlier move in Gauteng than we did last year. Firstly, we are definitely somehow connected to the waves that are happening in Europe… We also have activities in December that drive a wave and so what’s not unsurprising is the wave beginning in December,” he told the broadcaster.

Added onto that is the emergence of yet another variant of COVID-19 – the “super variant”, which has been detected in South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana and is said to have a high number of mutations. Van Den Heever says it’s far too early to tell whether vaccines will be effective against this new variant.