The health department has dismissed social media reports that there is a new sub-variant of Covid-19 Omicron in the country which is deadlier than previous variants.
The post on social media claimed BA.2.75 was a new Omicron sub-variant and it's “different, deadly and not easy to detect correctly”.
Spokesperson Foster Mohale said the department noted the overstated message circulating on social media platforms about the sub-variant.
Mohale confirmed the sub-variant was first detected in July 2022, saying it is of interest but not of concern.
“Thus, it has not had any impact and severity as compared to the dominant sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5.
“We are in daily contact with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and the Network for Genomic Surveillance teams and there is no need for public panic because the sub-variant has not made any impact.”
Mohale said the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions doesn’t mean the pandemic is over.
“Hence we encourage all unvaccinated and partly vaccinated people to vaccinate and also get booster shots at their nearest public health facility.
“This is because the department continues to record positive cases and deaths related to Covid-19 on a weekly basis, which confirms we are not entirely out of the woods. Vaccines are available and accessible at designated sites and health facilities and provide the best protection against the pandemic.”
Health department warns public about misleading message on Covid-19 variant
Image: 123RF/phonlamaiphoto
The health department has dismissed social media reports that there is a new sub-variant of Covid-19 Omicron in the country which is deadlier than previous variants.
The post on social media claimed BA.2.75 was a new Omicron sub-variant and it's “different, deadly and not easy to detect correctly”.
Spokesperson Foster Mohale said the department noted the overstated message circulating on social media platforms about the sub-variant.
Mohale confirmed the sub-variant was first detected in July 2022, saying it is of interest but not of concern.
“Thus, it has not had any impact and severity as compared to the dominant sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5.
“We are in daily contact with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and the Network for Genomic Surveillance teams and there is no need for public panic because the sub-variant has not made any impact.”
Mohale said the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions doesn’t mean the pandemic is over.
“Hence we encourage all unvaccinated and partly vaccinated people to vaccinate and also get booster shots at their nearest public health facility.
“This is because the department continues to record positive cases and deaths related to Covid-19 on a weekly basis, which confirms we are not entirely out of the woods. Vaccines are available and accessible at designated sites and health facilities and provide the best protection against the pandemic.”
The head of the World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus this week said the world is within reach of beating the pandemic.
“We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic. We are not there yet, but the end is in sight.”
Tedros said fewer deaths were linked to Covid-19 around the world last week than at any time since March 2020.
He urged countries to push forward with vaccinations, in particular of older and at-risk people, to plan for surges in cases and keep testing and sequencing to track the virus.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
READ MORE:
WHO chief Tedros says end in sight for Covid-19 pandemic
Binning of Covid-19 jabs a ‘shocking indictment’ of vaccination campaign, says health expert
US ambassador to SA pledges 10,000 visa interviews by Christmas
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most read
Latest Videos