South Africa increasingly in the grip of the delta variant

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In South Africa, the number of new coronavirus infections is again rising significantly. According to the government, the country with more than 56 million inhabitants is increasingly in the grip of the particularly contagious delta variant of the virus. According to official figures, there were 18,762 new infections within 24 hours – 11,777 of them in the urban center around the capital Pretoria and Johannesburg alone. The health infrastructure there is now at the limits of its capacity.

In terms of numbers, South Africa is the most severely affected country in Africa. So far, 1.9 million cases have been documented. Almost 60,000 people have died as a result of infection. Acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said, “Unfortunately, our scientists have discovered that we have a new variant that is prevalent in our country.”

Another variant of the Sars-CoV-2 virus is also circulating in South Africa and is considered particularly contagious. Because of this, many countries have imposed restrictions on travelers from South Africa. The restrictions so far have had a devastating effect on the economy. Millions of people are struggling to survive, and poverty and food insecurity have worsened dramatically in just a few weeks.