Omicron has become the main coronavirus strain in France where the number of infections has surged in the last few days, the country’s public health agency has said.
“62.4 percent of tests showed a profile compatible with the Omicron variant” at the start of this week, compared to 15 percent the previous week, the agency said in its latest weekly survey.
The Omicron variant’s advance was expected because it is highly contagious and has become dominant in other European countries including Britain and Portugal.
The strain has contributed to the current flare-up in cases, which topped 200,000 in the 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday.
French hospitals are now caring for 18,321 COVID-19 patients, including 1,922 new admissions between Wednesday and Thursday, with more than 3,500 people in intensive care.
Faced with the wave of infections, the government announced Monday new curbs to make people work from home and imposed limits on the numbers attending public events.
The virus has claimed 123,552 lives in France since it was detected in China in late 2019.
Meanwhile, South Africa, where the Omicron variant was detected in November, said its latest coronavirus wave had likely passed its peak without a significant increase in deaths and that restrictions would be eased.
“All indicators suggest the country may have passed the peak of the fourth wave,” the South African presidency said in a statement that announced the end of the nightly curfew.
Infections dropped by almost 30 percent last week compared to the preceding seven days, according to the presidency, while hospital admissions also declined in eight of the nine provinces.
During the spike, only a marginal increase in COVID-19 deaths was noted, it added.
“While the Omicron variant is highly transmissible, there has been lower rates of hospitalization than in previous waves,” the statement said.
“This means that the country has a spare capacity for admission of patients even for routine health services.”
