This archive report was first published on 31 August 2021.
As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa has detected a new variant of the coronavirus, C.1.2, with multiple mutations.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the new variant has not been labeled as a variant of concern, but researchers are closely monitoring its spread and response to various coronavirus antibodies.
On August 30, 2021, Eric Feigl-Ding, a renowned epidemiologist, tweeted about the new variant, stating that it had already been detected in several countries, including England, Switzerland, Portugal, Mauritius, China, and New Zealand.
South Africa has been severely affected by the pandemic, with a cumulative total of 2,779,575 coronavirus cases and 81,830 deaths recorded to date.
As the country continues to battle the pandemic, the WHO has assured the public that it will inform the world of any changes in the variant's status.
Meanwhile, Maria Van Kerkhove, the technical lead on COVID-19 for the WHO, stated that the Delta variant remains dominant in South Africa, and the organization is closely monitoring the situation.
