There appears to be a rise in COVID-19 illnesses, driven by Omicron subvariants, which may be better able to evade immunity from vaccines and previous infections and lower public health measures by the public such as masking and social distancing.
A new coronavirus variant that was first detected in South Africa during May does not appear to be spreading, the World Health Organization said on Aug. 31, adding WHO was monitoring the variant as the virus evolves.
The Covid-19 variant C.1.2., which was first detected in South Africa in May 2021, is causing public health experts worldwide to keep an eye out for its presence as it seems to be more infectious and even more resistant to vaccines than other variants.