This archive report was first published on 9 May 2021.
South Africa has become the fourth country on the continent to detect the B.1.617.2 variant, following Kenya, Uganda, and Morocco. This variant has been linked to an explosive coronavirus outbreak in India, which has spread to over a dozen countries worldwide.
According to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, the four cases were detected in Gauteng (2) and KwaZulu-Natal (2) provinces, with all individuals having a history of recent arrival from India. Mkhize stated that the cases were identified through recent travel from India.
South Africa has not yet imposed travel restrictions from India, despite the growing number of countries worldwide that have banned flights from the country. Mkhize emphasized that any travel restrictions would need to be balanced against scientific realities to protect the economy of Africa's most industrialized nation.
South Africa is the continent's worst virus-hit country, accounting for over 34% of all cases in the region. The country's second coronavirus wave, which peaked earlier this year, was driven by a local, more infectious coronavirus variant known as B.1.351.
As of now, South Africa has recorded over 1.59 million coronavirus cases, with over 54,700 fatalities.
