Africa, the world’s least-vaccinated continent, is currently going through a new wave of COVID infections as case numbers soar across the continent. According to the African C.D.C, 21 African nations are experiencing a fourth wave of COVID cases as the highly-transmissible Omicron variant spreads.
For example, Kenya has seen a sharp jump from 1% positive cases to 30% in just three weeks. However, South Africa, which went through the world’s earliest Omicron outbreak, has seen a 35% drop in COVID cases.
Encouraging evidence suggests prior Omicron infection can protect against re-infection from the Delta variant, leading some experts to predict that Omicron will eventually displace Delta worldwide. An earlier study from South Africa indicated that Omicron is around 80% less likely to cause hospitalization than the Delta variant.