Omicron, the latest variant of COVID-19, has reportedly been the cause of hospitalisations among children under five years old, according to South African health officials.
“More than 100 children under four had been admitted to hospital in the fourth week of the new resurgence,” reports Daily Maverick after data indicated that the Omicron variant was a common denominator in the hospitalisations of this age group.
Dr Wasila Jassat from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) expressed that although children were not heavily affected by COVID-19 previously, the third wave saw an increase in paediatric admissions, and the fourth wave has seen a further increase.
These waves are concentrated predominantly in Gauteng, and specifically Tshwane.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) expressed the concern for very young children, stating that children under the age of two account for about 10 per cent of total hospital admissions in Tshwane, the Omicron epicentre in South Africa, as IOL reports.
The NICD’s Dr Michelle Groome expressed that the seven-day moving average for positive cases has seen a rapid rise over the past two days, with 11,535 cases recorded on Thursday.
South Africa has seen COVID-19 cases double as a result of the Omicron variant.
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