villanew.blogg.se - Will we have another lockdown

“As we see the numbers currently, our advice from our epidemiologist is that this (increase in cases) is an isolated cluster that must be contained through contact tracing, quarantine, and isolation – but at this stage, we must not panic… it is predicted that a fourth wave will begin in mid-December at the earliest, heading towards early January.

We want to avoid severe lockdowns, and we want to do as much as we can in terms of social restrictions to avoid super spreading – but without taking away too much from the liberties of people socially and economically. “The fourth wave is likely to be less severe than the last two waves.

Phaahla states that the goal is now to avoid severe lockdowns, and allow people to retain their liberties.

T he roadmap out of lockdown for May and June. Therefore, a possible battle with a fourth wave of coronavirus – which will still prove deadly for some – can at least be managed and contained in a much easier fashion, as long as no other dangerous variants show up. Ap02:30 AM We learned from bitter experience that the best way to avoid another lockdown is to be cautious about exiting the one we are in. Health minister wants SA to move away from ‘hard lockdown’

That means around half the adult population will have jab-induced immunity from the virus, and millions of others will have antibodies from prior infection. That number is likely to be between 40% to 50% by the time the fourth wave is officially declared. And that’s before we even get on to the impact of our vaccines.Īround 35% of South Africans are now fully vaccinated. If there’s no new variant, with increased transmissibility or a deadlier composition, then the fourth wave is likely to hit a much lower ceiling than previous resurgences. Here’s why the fourth wave may not be so scary after all… This fourth wave, however, may only be driven by the Delta variant again – and that’s good news for us all: Yes, Delta gave us a devastating winter – but new variants are like rocket fuel for COVID-19. Every wave of the virus so far has been driven by a unique variant.

Last year, the second wave of COVID-19 struck mid-December, and curtailed our plans for New Year’s Eve.īut Phaahla is confident that SA can take a different path this year. The general scientific consensus is that another resurgence of the virus will hit South Africa from next month onwards, due to the increases in gatherings, mass travel, and social interactions linked to the holidays. Will South Africa have a lockdown for the fourth wave?