Absa Predicts That the 5th Wave of Covid19 Infections Will Hit in Mid April

• Absa believes that South Africa will be entering into a fifth wave of the coronavirus in mid-April this year
• South Africa has been recording less than 1000 new cases per day and no Covid19 cases in the past few days
• Social media users are wondering why a financial institution like Absa is making scientific predictions

JOHANNESBURG - Absa's Life Actuaries have made some predictions on the impact of the Covid19 pandemic will be on South Africa. According to ABSA, South Africans can expect to see a fifth wave in the rapid rise in infections as early as next month.

In recent days, the number of Covid19 infections has been below 1 000 new cases per day and for the past two days, there were Covid19 related deaths recorded in the country.

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Absa's interim CEO Jason Quinn says according to predictions a fifth wave can be expected from mid-April 2022, reports Fin24. Quinn says more waves are likely to occur in future after the fifth wave and there is a chance that social distancing will no longer work as a prohibitive measure.

Absa adds that as the fourth wave, the fifth wave will be less severe than the third wave that hit South Africa last year around June. The financial institution says during the fourth wave it saw fewer Covid19 claims on the insurance business side than it did during the third wave.

Absa boosted its Covid-19 reserves to R846 million in the first half of 2021, with the majority of it – R836 million – set aside for South African operations. In the third and fourth waves, the bank utilized R701 million to cover claims.

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Absa's predictions come just as President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that there is a possibility that certain Covid19 regulations could be dropped in the near future. Ramaphosa alluded that there is also a chance that the National State of Disaster will end.

South Africans react to Absa's predictions

@dropball007 said:

"What science? Remember the scientist told us a week-long lockdown will sort it out!"

@AdiSnyman said:

"Then they must go into that field and leave finance alone."

@Thambu02 said:

"Which science stupid? Bank vs science "

@Gxididi_EQ said:

"At Absa? Actuarial science graduates don't count."

@minette_muller said:

"I wonder if ABSA is funding this rubbish now that they got a turn to predict the next wave."

@sallymagwat said:

"So you take ‘science’ advice from a bank? What science... the debunked stuff?"

President Cyril Ramaphosa gets Pfizer vaccine booster shot, SA shades him mercilessly: "We don't care"

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Briefly News previously reported that more than a year since getting the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine jab at the Khayelitsha District Hospital in Cape Town, President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived to receive his Pfizer booster shot on Saturday.

TimesLIVE reported that Ramaphosa received his additional dose after engaging the community of Ngaka Modiri Molema at the inaugural Presidential Imbizo hosted at Mahikeng's Mmabatho Stadium in the North West province.

Here, Ramaphosa urged South Africans to vaccinate as the fight against Covid-19 continues. He added that people who have been vaccinated should take it a step further and get the booster vaccine.

Source: Briefly News