SA will experience fifth Covid-19 wave, warn health experts
As South Africa slowly moves further away from the peak of the fourth Covid-19 wave, researchers and experts say there will definitely be a fifth wave.
In a media briefing hosted by Minister of Health Joe Phaahla on Friday, health experts said although the timing of the next wave remains unclear, the winter months will be critical.
“We are fairly sure that there will probably be a fifth way, but it’s difficult to predict the timing. But as with all the other waves there are multiple factors, as we’ve seen it has been driven by a new variant. It is very important to keep monitoring through our sequencing,” said the NICD’s Michelle Groome.
The SA Medical Research Council’s Professor Glenda Gray echoed these sentiments.
“In terms of the fifth wave we need to see what the winter months will bring. This year will teach us whether we are moving towards a more endemic nature of SARS-Covid 2. As long as we have ongoing transmission there is a possibility of viral evolution.”
Both agreed that surveillance is critical in picking up any new variants which may drive the wave.
Experts agree that the vaccines have helped against severe illness and death while acknowledging that the Omicron variant has been less severe than others.
Meanwhile there are ongoing discussions over the measures put in place to reduce covid infections and whether those can be reviewed.
Gray said a technical team has been appointed to work alongside the Basic Education Department that’s struggling with space and rotation style teaching due to the one metre social distancing requirement in classes.
