JOHANNESBURG (AP) - As the world grapples with the emergence of the new highly transmissible variant of COVID-19, worried scientists in South Africa — where omicron was first identified — are scrambling to combat its lightning spread across the country.In the space of two weeks, the omicron variant has sent South Africa from a period of low transmission to rapid growth of new confirmed cases.
The country’s numbers are still relatively low, with 2,828 new confirmed cases recorded Friday, but omicron’s speed in infecting young South Africans has alarmed health professionals."We’re seeing a marked change in the demographic profile of patients with COVID-19," Rudo Mathivha, head of the intensive care unit at Soweto’s Baragwanath Hospital, told.