Britain’s health security agency has said there isn’t enough data yet to assess the inherent severity of omicron. This is a fraction of the average 1,200 daily deaths during the peak of the UK’s wave in January this year. South Africa has over the past week recorded an average 30 daily deaths compared with the over 370 daily deaths during the peak of its delta-driven wave in July, and over 500 during the peak of its beta-driven wave in January. Many experts believe the focus should shift from counts of daily cases to hospitalisation. Some health experts say it could take several weeks for omicron-driven surges to emerge.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 18, 2021 22:14 UTC