Minister of Health Joe Phaahla Warns of an Increase in Covid19 Infections at Portfolio Committee Meeting
- Minister of Health Joe Phaahla said there is a rise in Covid-19 infections again, which is worrying
- The Department of Health disclosed its annual performance plan to the Portfolio Committee on Health
- Phaahla urged residents to continue following the preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus
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JOHANNESBURG - Minister of Health Joe Phaahla has warned South African citizens about a worrying rise in Covid-19 infections. The health department released its annual performance plan to the Portfolio Committee on Health on Friday 22 April.
The country recorded over 4 000 Covid-19 cases on Thursday and almost half were detected in Gauteng. Phaahla said while the rise is concerning, he is hopeful that the numbers won't rise.
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He said that the situation is being monitored and once a trend has been noticed, a report will be delivered to the committee. The health minister urged residents to continue following the preventive measures.
During an interview with eNCA, Phaahla said:
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“This is not going to be for a long time if the situation continues to improve. My own expectation with the advice of scientists is that for instance if we can just go through this winter and the situation can stabilise, we are all optimistic that this will now be over.”
Phaahla said the past two years have been overshadowed by the pandemic and added that there is hope that the pandemic can be contained, News24 reported. He also noted that the Omicron variant is more transmissible but less severe.
Social media users react to the rise in infections
@Makeitlooksmexy commented:
“The 5th wave is coming, a blind man could see this coming as soon as the mask mandate was dropped.”
@JoeMajozie said:
“He must just stop testing people, then there won't be any rise, simple.”
@AndromedaAdvent wrote:
“No more lockdowns. We're tired, please.”
@goo_lou_yok posted:
“Brace yourselves, Government is preparing to put their boots on our necks again.”
@TresiaErasmus3 added:
“Show us your proof!”
SA scientists discover 2 Covid19 subvariants, threaten to withhold information if travel restrictions imposed
Briefly News reported two new Covid-19 omicron sub-variants have been discovered by South African scientists, who warn they will stop sharing their research internationally if it leads to more travel bans.
Head of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation at Stellenbosch University, Tulio de Oliveira, was one of the first scientists to initially share data on omicron, which led to South Africans being banned from travelling to several countries.
He said that BA.4 and BA.5 variants are similar to the initial omicron virus and as more sub-variants emerge, they are more likely to be transmissible. He added that the variants are prevalent in South Africa but have also been detected in 10 other countries.
Source: Briefly News
