South Africa, where the Omicron variant was detected in November 2021, said recently that the country’s latest coronavirus wave had likely passed its peak without a significant increase in deaths and that restrictions would be eased.

The highly contagious Omicron variant, which contains a number of mutations, fueled an end-of-year global pandemic resurgence. But mounting evidence, including in South Africa, has given rise to hopes it may be less severe than other strains.

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