South African Covid-19 cases drop may show Omicron peak has passed

South Africa has been at the forefront of the Omicron wave and the world is watching for any signs of how it may play out there to try to understand what may be in store

Sandile Cele, a researcher at the Africa Health Research Institute in Durban, South Africa, works on the omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus (AP)

A noticeable drop in new Covid-19 cases in recent days may signal that South Africa’s dramatic Omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say.

Daily virus case counts are notoriously unreliable, as they can be affected by uneven testing, reporting delays and other fluctuations – but they are offering a hint that Omicron infections may recede quickly after a ferocious spike.