President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses South Africans on the newly detected B.1.1.529 coronavirus variant.
In a statement released on Friday, the President will convene the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) on Sunday, 28 November 2021, to assess developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, including scientific updates around the newly detected coronavirus variant.
At a briefing on Thursday, Tulio de Oliveira, a bio-informatics professor who runs gene-sequencing institutions at two South African universities, said the new discovery, called B.1.1.529 until a Greek letter is assigned to it by the World Health Organization, carries an unusually large number of mutations and is “clearly very different” from previous incarnations
The outcome of the NCCC discussions and further consultations will be communicated in the coming days.
“Government urges all South Africans to vaccinate and to remain disciplined in applying the known safety measures, to ensure a safe and joyful festive season with families and friends,” concludes the statement.
