JOHANNESBURG -As Omicron coronavirus pushes South Africa into a fourth wave COVID-19 cases in its third year, South Africa is preparing for increased admissions.

Omicron, which was discovered in southern Africa for the first times last month, has raised alarm worldwide as authorities fear another outbreak.

South Africa’s daily infection rate jumped to over 16,000 last Friday, from 2,300 Monday.

Ramaphosa stated in his weekly newsletter Omicron seemed to dominate new cases in the majority of nine provinces in the country and encouraged more people to get their COVID-19 vaccine.

He stated that South Africa has enough vaccines and that vaccination was essential to our economic recovery. “As more people get vaccinated, more economic activities will open up.”

Ramaphosa announced that soon the government would convene the National Coronavirus Command Council in order to assess the current state of the pandemic, and to decide whether any further precautions are necessary to ensure people’s safety.

South Africa’s scientists are working together with other nations to discover if Omicron causes severe illness, is more contagious or is resistant to vaccines.

Some experts in South Africa have provided some encouraging anecdotal evidence that suggests many of the infections it causes may be mild.

Ramaphosa indicated that they are monitoring closely the hospitalisation rates and infected rate.