The Department of Health is reported to have called on South Africans to start wearing their masks again and to continue getting vaccinated and receiving booster shots, after the first case of what is said to be a highly transmissible Covid-19 Omicron XBB.1.5 variant was detected in South Africa recently.
The Department said it is consulting with scientists to make a determination of what is reported to be a highly transmissible variant also found in the United States of America in recent weeks.
There is no reported increase in the number of hospital admissions or deaths in South Africa while the public waits for official directives on what to do next.
According to reports the World Health Organisation (WHO) is calling the XBB.1.5 the ‘most transmissible variant that has been detected yet’ and it has taken over and is projected to account for more than 27% of cases in the US today.
The Covid XBB.1.5 variant symptoms are similar to the previous Omicron variants and patients have cold-like symptoms, such as runny nose, sore throat, cough and congestion but are unlikely to have fevers.
A snap survey on the streets of Joburg, shows that some people have headed the call to start wearing masks while others are going about their business as if nothing is happening.