Africa is being hit by the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the Omicron variant, after recording the fastest weekly surge in new cases since May 2020.
“Africa is now officially in the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is partly due to the Omicron variant,’’ World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti said.
She spoke at the end-of-year press conference in Brazzaville on Tuesday.
Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, hosts WHO Regional Office for Africa.
“Africa had seen a rise of 83 per cent in new COVID-19 cases for the week ending Dec. 12, driven by the Delta and the Omicron variants, which was the fastest surge recorded since May 2020,” Moeti said.
More than 2,700 Omicron cases have been reported in 59 countries, including 11 African countries that account for about 33 per cent of the total cases.
According to the WHO, Africa’s share is steadily dropping, while South Africa no longer leads the world in Omicron cases.
