By: Zahid Jadwat

As health experts have noted an increase in the average number of daily COVID-19 cases, the Department of Health has said that it is ready to deal with the likely occurrence of a fifth wave.

In an interview on Radio Islam, the Department’s spokesperson Foster Mohale confirmed that they have noted a resurgence and said that they will be monitoring the developments in the coming days.

“The number of COVID-19 infections in the past weeks is increasing at an alarming rate and we are very concerned, but we are closely monitoring the situation. Our scientists and experts are working closely with the NICD and are monitoring the situation to create a picture that will guide us as to exactly what we are experiencing and how far are we going to experience this,” he said.

In the latest update, the ministry reported 34 150 active cases with 5 062 new cases. 15 deaths were also reported.

“In the past few days, we’ve been recording an average of 4000 COVID-19 infections on a daily basis. The numbers of yesterday [April 26] created a very scary picture — 5000, from 4000, is very scary”.

“In terms of the state of readiness, as the Department, we are ready for any unforeseen circumstances or any resurgence,” he said.

Meanwhile, Professor of Vaccinology at Wits University Shabir Madhi said that the current resurgence is “nothing to worry about” as it appears to be driven by the Omicron BA.4subvariant, adding that a high percentage of South Africans are said to have some level of immunity (as much as 85%) due to either infection or vaccination.

Listen to the full interview here: