South Africa Cases Reach 30,000... 15-Fold Surge After Omicron Discovery
UK Health Authorities "3rd Dose Essential for Omicron Immune Protection"
[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunwoo Lee and Hyunui Cho] In South Africa, where the COVID-19 Omicron variant was first discovered, even the president has tested positive for COVID-19. The UK government, where Omicron is rapidly spreading, announced that it will administer additional vaccinations (booster shots) to all adults by the end of the year.
According to the Associated Press on the 12th (local time), South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the memorial service for former President Frederik Willem de Klerk held in Cape Town that day due to feeling unwell. He had completed his second vaccine dose in February and is known to have experienced a breakthrough infection.
President Ramaphosa visited four West African countries last week but had not tested positive during his trip until now. He is currently reported to be experiencing mild symptoms. South African health authorities have not yet disclosed whether he is infected with the Omicron variant. As a result, suspicions about his Omicron infection have arisen, spreading Omicron fears worldwide again.
In South Africa, it is already estimated that the number of Omicron variant cases surpasses those of the Delta variant. According to South African health authorities, 37,875 new cases were confirmed in a single day, which is about 15 times higher compared to November 25, shortly after South Africa reported the new variant to the international community.
Meanwhile, the UK government stated that the level of immune protection against the Omicron variant must be increased and announced plans to administer booster shots to the entire adult population by the end of the year. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a national address on television that "the Omicron wave is coming, and two doses of the vaccine alone no longer provide sufficient protection," emphasizing that "only by receiving a booster shot can protection levels be raised again, so authorities will strive to provide booster shots to all adults aged 18 and over in the UK by the end of the year."
The UK government raised the COVID-19 alert level from level 3 to level 4 due to the rapid spread of Omicron, increasing the burden on public health. The highest level is 5.
Earlier, the UK Health Security Agency (HSA) warned that initial experimental results show that those who completed two doses of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine have less than 10% effectiveness against the Omicron variant, and those who completed two doses of the Pfizer vaccine more than 25 weeks ago have only 40% effectiveness. However, the HSA stated that booster shots increase the effectiveness against the Omicron variant to 70-75%.
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