Omicron may be driving S Africa’s surge; wary world watches

By ANDREW MELDRUM
Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The new omicron variant appears to be driving a dramatic surge in South Africa, providing the world a glimpse of where the pandemic might be headed. New cases in South Africa have burgeoned from about 200 a day in mid-November to more than 11,500 on Thursday. Health Minister Joe Phaahla said Friday that in the week since omicron was discovered to be in the country’s most populous province, Gauteng, infections have surged 300%. The variant has also now spread to all of the other eight provinces. The rapid increase is still below the 25,000 daily new cases that South Africa reported in the previous surge in June and July. Little is known about the new variant, but a researcher says the spike in South Africa suggests it might be more contagious