According to his administration, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is getting treatment after testing positive for Covid-19. According to a statement, the 69-year-old is experiencing mild symptoms and has isolated himself in Cape Town. Since November, when the new Omicron strain was found, infections have increased in South Africa. However, despite Omicron being more transmissible than previous strains such as Delta, research indicates that the risk of severe illness and death is lowered. According to the South African president, Mr Ramaphosa tested positive on Sunday and has already delegated all duties to Deputy President David Mabuza “for the next week.” According to the statement, the president became sick on Sunday morning while attending the burial of former President FW de Klerk.
Mr Ramaphosa is in “good spirits,” but is being monitored by specialists. The statement made no more reference to Mr Ramaphosa’s illness. However, individuals who have had recent contact with him have been urged to watch for indicators or seek testing. Mr Ramaphosa has just returned from a seven-day tour to Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Senegal. According to BBC Johannesburg correspondent Nomsa Maseko, some team members tested positive in Nigeria and returned to South Africa. According to the presidency, Mr Ramaphosa was vaccinated in February, and members of his staff were tested for Covid in each nation they visited.
The president says that his sickness should serve as a warning to the public to practice good public health and get vaccinated. The president says that his sickness should serve as a warning to the public to practice good public health and get vaccinated. Despite government efforts, less than 30% of South Africans are completely vaccinated, owing to widespread “vaccine aversion,” as the country’s health officials characterize it. South African scientists alerted the World Health Organization of the unusual Omicron strain on November 24. The United Nations Public Health Organization subsequently designated Omicron as a “variation of concern,” warning that vaccinations against it may be ineffective.
Numerous governments throughout the globe have put travel restrictions on South Africa and other neighbouring countries, but this has not prevented the new form from spreading. According to recent research, those who had been vaccinated or previously infected were still vulnerable to the Omicron type but were less likely to get critically sick or die.
“We’re seeing a lot of novel illnesses,” said Shabir Madhi, a vaccinology professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. “However, such infections are not proceeding to cause serious illness or death in any appreciable numbers.” For instance, almost 20,000 cases were reported yesterday [Sunday], and about 25 people died from Covid-19,” he told the BBC’s Newsday program. According to Prof Madhi, between 200 and 300 individuals died each day during the Delta variant wave, when there were 20,000 cases in South Africa. He continued by stating that, despite South Africa’s low testing rate, experts did not anticipate the death toll to be “even remotely” comparable to the previous three waves.
