Omicron Outbreak in 30 Countries... Dominant Strain in South Africa Within 3 Weeks

Confirmed on All 6 Continents
South Africa Cases Quadruple in Two Days

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] As the new COVID-19 variant Omicron spreads rapidly, it became the dominant strain in South Africa just three weeks after the first case was reported. Globally, it has been confirmed on all six continents except Antarctica, with at least 30 countries reporting cases.

The South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported, according to major foreign media, that 74% of all samples sequenced in November were the Omicron variant. South Africa detected the new variant in samples collected on November 8 in Gauteng Province, the most densely populated area, and reported it to the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24.

Omicron became the dominant strain just three weeks after being discovered in South Africa and one week after being reported to the WHO. As Omicron established dominance, the proportion of the Delta variant sharply dropped from 79% in October to 22% in November.

On that day, South Africa reported 8,561 new confirmed cases, double the previous day's 4,373 and nearly four times the 2,273 cases reported two days earlier. Experts predict that the number of new cases could rise to as many as 10,000 by the weekend.

The positivity rate among those tested for COVID-19 also reached 16.5%, a sharp increase of about 6 percentage points from 10.2% the day before and 10.7% two days prior. The average daily increase rate of new cases over the past week is 10.3%.

Despite the rapid spread, the exact risk posed by Omicron remains unclear. The NICD stated, "Scientists are currently investigating whether Omicron has increased infectivity or has developed some ability to evade immune responses."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

With Omicron detected across six continents including Africa, Europe, North America, Central and South America, Asia, and Oceania, the number of affected countries has reached at least 30. The cumulative number of confirmed cases exceeds 230.

According to foreign media reports compiled on the day, new cases were confirmed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ireland, Ghana, and Mozambique. UAE health authorities reported that an African woman who traveled through Arab countries and arrived from Africa was infected with the Omicron variant. The patient is reported to have completed vaccination.

Ireland announced that a person who visited one of seven high-risk countries designated by Ireland?Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, or Zimbabwe?was infected with Omicron. Both the UAE and Ireland have high vaccination completion rates of 89.3% and 75.9%, respectively.

Omicron cases have also been found in the United States, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, and others. In South Korea, five people, including a couple who recently visited Nigeria, have been infected.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.