Southern Africa Covid Cases Jump 32% as Sublineages Spread
- Relaxed restrictions also driving surge, WHO official says
- Sublineages can reinfect those who had original omicron strain
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The number of coronavirus cases in southern Africa surged 32% in the week to May 8 as omicron variant sublineages discovered last month in South Africa spread.
The region recorded 46,271 cases in the week, driven by a quadrupling of cases in South Africa over the last three weeks, the World Health Organization said in a statement on Thursday. Deaths doubled in the country over that period to 376.