President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to meet the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) on Sunday to discuss South Africa’s response to the detection of a new COVID-19 variant called B.1.1.529 this week.
Government has urged South Africans to remain vigilant and play their part in protecting themselves and others against COVID-19 by practicing all the non-pharmaceutical ways such as washing hands, sanitizing where there’s no water, wearing masks, avoiding crowded places and keeping physical distance if required to meet people who are not part of their immediate households.
On Thursday the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed that 100 cases of the new variant were recorded in the country.
The Presidency said the outcomes of Ramaphosa’s meeting with the NCCC will be communicated in the coming days.
Meanwhile the Western Cape Health officials have warned that the province has started experiencing signs of a COVID-19 fourth wave. The province said this in a press conference on Friday.
The provincial head of the Department, Dr Keith Cloete, said the Western Cape recorded an increased number of infections in the past few days.