JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The National Health Department on Thursday confirmed the detection of a new sub-variant of COVID-19 Omicron called BA.2.75 but said that the new sub-variant has not had any impact at present.
Health department spokesperson Foster Mohale said that this sub-variant was first detected in July in one sample in Gauteng and since then, it was yet to be detected in other areas again.
"It is of interest, and not of concern. Thus, it has not had any impact and severity as compared to the dominant sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5," Mohale said.
Mohale told Xinhua that BA.4 and BA.5 continued to be the most dominant sub-variants in South Africa but they were less severe due to higher levels of immunity. The department called on the public not to panic.
With South Africa having lifted all major COVID-19 lockdown restrictions as new cases continued declining, the health department, however, said the pandemic was not over.
Mohale encouraged those who remained unvaccinated to get the vaccines and receive booster shots to protect themselves. More than 50 percent of the population in South Africa has been vaccinated. ■