South Africa’s daily Covid-19 cases soar 50 per cent in 24 hours amid new Omicron surge

  • WHO chief said two Omicron sub-variants, BA.4 and BA.5, were behind the surge in cases in South Africa
  • Sharp rise in South African cases came as 11 countries on continent were experiencing ‘fifth wave’

A woman in Soweto, South Africa, wears a face shield. Photo: AP

South Africa’s new Covid-19 cases shot up by more than 50 per cent Thursday from the previous day, official data showed amid a surge of infections driven by two new Omicron sub-variants.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported that 9,757 new Covid-19 cases were identified, a rise from Wednesday’s 6,170 cases.

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