President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed that he will soon convene a meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) to review the state of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Writing in his weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa says government is preparing its hospitals for more admissions, as the Omicron variant pushes the country into a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections.
He says that Omicron appears to be dominating new infections in most provinces.
Ramaphosa has urged more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The President says as infections continue to rise, the reasons to get vaccinated become more compelling and urgent.
He says people must reduce the size of gatherings of their own volition and public and private facilities should ensure adequate ventilation, masking and social distancing.
As we enter the fourth wave, and as the country gears up for the festive season, the urgent priority is for more people to get vaccinated. Scientific evidence shows that vaccination is the most effective means of preventing the spread of new infections. https://t.co/xTifscW7es pic.twitter.com/fLxMmID1zI
— Cyril Ramaphosa ?? (@CyrilRamaphosa) December 6, 2021
Meanwhile, the NICD has recorded 11 125 new COVID-19 infections and one death in the latest 24-hour reporting period. The increase represents a 23.8 percent positivity rate with over 83 000 active cases in the country currently.
Gauteng remains the epicentre of COVID-19 cases as it reported close to 8 000 cases in the last 24 hours. This follows last week’s announcement by South African scientists on the detection of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron in the country – which resulted in a number of travel bans against Southern African countries.
Medical expert and CEO of Higher Health, Prof. Ramneek Ahluwalia speaks about the current COVID-19 situation in the country: