Faizel Patel – 18/12/2020
Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize has confirmed that South African scientists have identified a variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Mkhize briefed the media on Friday on the latest developments regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
The Kwazulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) identified the virus variant after sequencing hundreds of samples of the virus since beginning of the pandemic in March.
Mkhize says a particular variant of COVID-19 has increasingly dominated the findings recent virus samples collected in the past two months.
“”The evidence that has been collected therefore strongly suggests that the current second wave that we are experiencing is also, therefore, being driven by this new variant.”
Mkhize says it was very important that research be shared with all South Africans.
“We have briefed the President and some of the health stakeholders and we would be going on brief the rest of the cabinet and the members of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC).”
Mkhize says clinicians have been providing anecdotal evidence of a shift in the clinical epidemiological picture- in particular noting that they are seeing a larger proportion of younger patients with no co-morbidities presenting with critical illness.
Listen to the address by Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize
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