SA on High Alert Due to New Covid 19 Variants, MAC Members Fearful

- The Covid-19 Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) is concerned about the variant of the virus that's spreading in India

- No cases of the variant have been reported in South Africa but Dr Zweli Mkhize is concerned about it

- The government is coming up with solutions to manage the virus variant should it arrive in the country

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South Africans might've thought that the Covid-19 situation had subsided a bit due to fewer cases being reported but now the nation is on high alert once again. The Covid-19 Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) is concerned about the variant of the virus found in India.

The committee is worried about the variant from India arriving in South Africa to cause havoc, according to a report by News24.

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"If the variant is a mutation and it comes here, it will transmit very quickly. I think we are really opening a can of worms," said a MAC insider.

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Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize is also concerned about the variant coming into South Africa as this could cause a spike in new cases. The minister says that the government is thinking about which course of action to take from here.

According to BusinessTech, Mkhize says that the Indian variant has not been detected in South Africa but there is still a worry.

“This increase in detection of cases at the ports of entry is of deep concern to us as government and we have been attending to this as a matter of urgency," said Mkhize.

In other Covid-19 news, Briefly News reported that no cases of the Indian Covid-19 variant in SA, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

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No cases of Indian Covid variant in SA, say NICD and Health Department

The NICD said the B.1.617 variant has not been detected in Mzansi and shared that any suspected cases will be investigated.

In a statement released on Monday, 3 May the NICD's Prof Adrian Puren said:

"The institution has tremendous empathy for the dire situation that is unfolding in India and would like to reassure the South African public that we are keeping a close eye on developments."

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Source: Briefly News