Hospitalisations in SA from the Omicron coronavirus variant are rising at a slower rate than surging case numbers, while severe disease is limited and there’s only a small uptick in deaths.
However, that is not translating to overloaded hospital wards. While the number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 is nearing 5,000, that’s about a quarter of its peak in the mid-year third wave.
“There are early indications that we haven’t seen dramatic increases in the number of people who need oxygen, ventilators or need to be moved to intensive care units,” Groome said. While initial studies show vaccines are less effective against Omicron, most hospital admissions are in age groups with lower vaccine coverage, Groome said.
SA’s mass vaccination drive only started for those older than 60 in May, before younger categories were added. More older South Africans are vaccinated than younger ones.
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