Health minister urges continuous safety and hygiene measures as new Covid variant is detected in Asia

CAPE TOWN - Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi is urging the public to continue regular hygiene and safety measures amid a new Covid variant detected in Asia.

Speaking at the 4th G20 health working group meeting held in Johannesburg on Tuesday the minister detailed that the new Covid variant has only been detected in parts of Asia. 

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said there are no signs of an increase in severity or different symptoms. 

Motsoaledi said that they will continue to monitor the variant closely and report any significant changes. 

"At this stage, no specific new public health actions are required from the public. But we continue to advocate for maintaining good hygiene practices such as hand washing, covering coughs and staying home when unwell. These simple measures are effective in reducing the spread of all respiratory illnesses,” said Motsoaledi.

Meanwhile, the NICD has confirmed that the new covid variant hasn’t been detected in South Africa.

The variant was first detected in January this year under the name nb.1.8.1. 

The NICD said while there are no recorded cases in the country testing of the variant is limited and few specimens are being submitted for sequencing. 

"The WHO has designated this variant under monitoring due to its growing presence. I wish to reassure the esteemed gathering that South Africa has robust surveillance systems in place. Our National Institute for Communicable Diseases known as NICD manages a comprehensive sentinel surveillance programme that systematically tests for key respiratory viruses including covid-19 influenza and the respiratory syncytial virus," said Motsoaledi.