South Africa readies hospitals as Omicron variant drives new Covid-19 wave

South Africa is preparing its hospitals for more admissions, as the Omicron coronavirus variant pushes the country into the fourth wave of Covid-19 cases, President Cyril Ramaphosa said today.

Omicron was first detected in southern Africa last month and has triggered global alarm as governments fear another surge in infections.

South Africa's daily infections surged last week to more than 16,000 on Friday...