The South African province where the Omicron COVID-19 variant was first detected has suffered a more than 300 percent increase in virus related hospitalizations this week.
Gauteng, which includes the city of Johannesburg, recorded 580 hospitalizations because of the virus this week, per official data – a 330 percent jump from 135 two weeks ago.
Just under 40 percent of the provinces 12 million residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine – third-lowest of the nation’s 12 provinces.
Last week, the new Omicron variant was sequenced in 77 cases in the region, and many fear it is the most infectious strain of the virus yet and that it could evade vaccine protection because of its high number of mutations.
While South African health officials have reported that cases of the variant are often mild, the increase in hospitalizations in the province seems to hint otherwise.
Gauteng is the largest province in the country by population, as it is home to more than 12 million people.
After a Covid surge around three months ago, the province has experienced decreasing hospitalizations from the virus for weeks.
During the week that ended on November 7, 120 Covid related hospitalizations were detected.
Last week, that figure doubled to 276, before jumping to 580 last week.
Because genetic sequencing is only performed on a small percentage of positive tests, experts can not say which people have Omicron versus another strain.
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South African officials have said that cases of this new strain are relatively minor, though, to such an extent that it surprised them.
‘Their symptoms were so different and so mild from those I had treated before,’ said Dr Angelique Coetzee, a South African Medical Association board member, told The Telegraph.
‘It presents mild disease with symptoms being sore muscles and tiredness for a day or two not feeling well
‘So far, we have detected that those infected do not suffer the loss of taste or smell. They might have a slight cough. There are no prominent symptoms. Of those infected some are currently being treated at home.’
Joe Phaahla, South Africa’s health minister, has blamed the recent uptick in cases the nation has experienced on the highly infectious variant, though.
Over the past nine days, cases have increased nine-fold from around 500 per day on November 20 to 4,500 per day this week.
This surge in cases also corresponds with the surge in hospitalizations the nation has suffered in recent weeks.
One thing to note is that some of the 77 cases found by health officials last week were among vaccinated people – causing the alarm.
Vaccinated people generally have a lower risk of severe Covid infection than their unvaccinated peers, which could have resulted in the more mild cases.
Gauteng as a whole, though, has a vaccination rate of only 38 percent as of Monday morning, a low enough number that the province is vulnerable to surges of the virus.
In response to the discovery of the new Covid variant, President Biden suspended travel from South Africa – and six of its neighbors – to the the U.S.
Many European nations, like the UK, have banned incoming flights from nations in the southern portion of the continent as well.
The move has been met with criticism from some health officials.
‘Travel restrictions may play a role in slightly reducing the spread of COVID-19 but place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods,’ Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa, said in a statement.
‘If restrictions are implemented, they should not be unnecessarily invasive or intrusive, and should be scientifically based, according to the International Health Regulations, which is a legally binding instrument of international law recognized by over 190 nations.
‘…The speed and transparency of the South African and Botswana governments in informing the world of the new variant is to be commended.’
‘WHO stands with African countries which had the courage to boldly share life-saving public health information, helping protect the world against the spread of COVID-19.’
Despite widespread travel restrictions, the variant has managed to find its way around the world anyways.
The UK has joined many European countries like Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, the UK and Portugal in finding cases of the Omicron variant over the past few days.
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said Monday morning that it is likely too late to prevent the spread of the variant, and it probably has found its way into countries like the U.S. by now – it just has not yet been sequenced.
Not much is yet known about the variant, but what experts do know has them terrified.
The variant has over 50 mutations, with 30 being on the spike protein, more than any other detected Covid variant.
Because available vaccines for Covid target the spike protein, these types of mutations could make the variant vaccine resistant.
Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – producers of the available vaccines in the U.S. – have all announced that they will either update their existing vaccine or release a stand along Omicron vaccine if needed.
BioNTech believes they will be able to determine the variant’s ability to evade the vaccines within the next two weeks.
So far, the variant has yet to reach America, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said he does not believe lockdowns are necessary.