Time for using severe lockdowns for Covid-19 is over — take SA’s example
Africa CDC director John Nkengasong has praised SA for adopting that approach when responding to the Omicron infection wave
06 January 2022 - 13:39
by Alexander Winning
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The V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Picture: ESA ALEXANDER
Africa’s top public health official said on Thursday that severe lockdowns were no longer the best way to contain Covid-19, praising SA for adopting that approach when responding to its latest infection wave driven by the Omicron variant.
“We are very encouraged with what we saw in SA during this period, where they look at the data in terms of severity [of infections,” John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), told a news conference.
“The period where we are using severe lockdowns as a tool is over. We should actually be looking at how we use public health and social measures more carefully and in a balanced way as the vaccination increases.”
SA experienced a steep rise in Covid-19 infections from late November, around the time it alerted the world to Omicron, with new infections peaking in mid-December at a record.
But new cases have since fallen, and the government did not resort to strict restrictions as it did during previous infection waves given early signs that the bulk of Omicron infections had been mild. It even loosened rules before New Year’s Eve.
Nkengasong added that he feared that Covid-19 could become endemic on the continent given the slow pace of vaccination — a prospect many global scientists already talk of as a given.
“Unless ... by the end of this year the continent actually scales up its vaccination to above 70% or 80%, my worry is that we might ... be into a scenario where Covid-19 becomes endemic,” he said.
Experts believe Covid-19 cannot be eliminated and will likely become endemic, meaning it will always be present in the population to some degree, such as flu or chickenpox.
Less than 10% of Africa’s population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the latest Africa CDC figures show, with many countries initially struggling to access sufficient shots and later battling to get them into arms.
There has been a 36% average increase in new cases reported in Africa over the last four weeks, with an 8% average increase in new deaths.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Time for using severe lockdowns for Covid-19 is over — take SA’s example
Africa CDC director John Nkengasong has praised SA for adopting that approach when responding to the Omicron infection wave
Africa’s top public health official said on Thursday that severe lockdowns were no longer the best way to contain Covid-19, praising SA for adopting that approach when responding to its latest infection wave driven by the Omicron variant.
“We are very encouraged with what we saw in SA during this period, where they look at the data in terms of severity [of infections,” John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), told a news conference.
“The period where we are using severe lockdowns as a tool is over. We should actually be looking at how we use public health and social measures more carefully and in a balanced way as the vaccination increases.”
SA experienced a steep rise in Covid-19 infections from late November, around the time it alerted the world to Omicron, with new infections peaking in mid-December at a record.
But new cases have since fallen, and the government did not resort to strict restrictions as it did during previous infection waves given early signs that the bulk of Omicron infections had been mild. It even loosened rules before New Year’s Eve.
Nkengasong added that he feared that Covid-19 could become endemic on the continent given the slow pace of vaccination — a prospect many global scientists already talk of as a given.
“Unless ... by the end of this year the continent actually scales up its vaccination to above 70% or 80%, my worry is that we might ... be into a scenario where Covid-19 becomes endemic,” he said.
Experts believe Covid-19 cannot be eliminated and will likely become endemic, meaning it will always be present in the population to some degree, such as flu or chickenpox.
Less than 10% of Africa’s population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the latest Africa CDC figures show, with many countries initially struggling to access sufficient shots and later battling to get them into arms.
There has been a 36% average increase in new cases reported in Africa over the last four weeks, with an 8% average increase in new deaths.
Reuters
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