Omicron Scare: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tests positive for COVID-19, mildly ill
Highlight
- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has been fully vaccinated, tests positive for COVID-19
- He is receiving treatment for mild COVID-19 symptoms
- He is self-isolating in Cape Town and is being monitored by the South African Military Health Service
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is receiving treatment for mild COVID-19 symptoms after testing positive for the disease on Sunday, his office said. Ramaphosa began to feel unwell and a test confirmed COVID-19, a presidential statement announced.
He is self-isolating in Cape Town and is being monitored by the South African Military Health Service, the statement said. He has handed over all responsibilities for next week to Vice President David Mabuza. Ramaphosa, 69, is fully vaccinated. The statement did not say whether he was infected with the Omicron coronavirus disease.
Last week, Ramaphosa visited four West African countries. He and all members of his delegation were tested for COVID-19 in each country during the visit. Some of the delegation tested positive in Nigeria and returned directly to South Africa. During the rest of the visit, Ramaphosa and his delegation tested negative. Ramaphosa returned from Senegal on 8 December.
Ramaphosa said his own infection serves as a warning to all people in South Africa to be vaccinated and alert to the risk, the statement said. Vaccination is the best defense against serious illness and hospitalization.
People in South Africa who have had contact with Ramaphosa on Sunday are advised to monitor their symptoms or get themselves tested.
Health officials say South Africa is currently grappling with a rapid resurgence driven by the Omicron variant. The country recorded more than 18,000 new confirmed cases on Sunday night. According to genetic sequencing surveys, over 70% of cases are estimated to be from Omicron.
After a period of low transmission of around 200 new cases per day in early November, COVID-19 cases in South Africa began to rise dramatically. On November 25, scientists in southern Africa confirmed the Omicron variant, which has more than 50 mutations. Omicron appears to be highly permeable and has quickly become effective in the country. Doctors say that so far most cases have been relatively mild and the percentage of severe cases requiring oxygen has been low.
Read also | IOmicron: Evidence suggests it lowers immunity to earlier infections than other types
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