South African scientists brace for Covid wave driven by Omicron variant

FILE – A resident from the Alexandra township gets tested for COVID-19 , in Johannesburg, Wednesday, April 29, 2020. A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

Scientists in South Africa are scrambling to combat the lightning spread of the highly transmissible new Omicron variant of Covid-19 that was first detected in the country.

In two weeks, the variant has sent South Africa from a period of low transmission to rapid growth of new confirmed cases.