South African Cyril Ramaphosa says COVID-19 has president | Coronavirus pandemic News

The South African president is self-isolated in Cape Town and is receiving treatment to treat mild symptoms, the presidency says.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has tested positive for COVID-19 and is receiving treatment for mild symptoms, his office said.

Ramaphosa, who is fully incarcerated, began to feel unwell after leaving the former president’s state memorial service. FW de Klerk In Cape Town on Sunday, he said.

The 69-year-old leader is now self-isolated in Cape Town and said he is being monitored by the South African Military Health Service.

He has handed over all responsibilities to Vice President David Mabuza next week.

The presidency did not say whether Ramaphosa was infected with the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

A highly mutated variant that was first detected in South Africa last month has erupted global terror fearing that it is more contagious than other strains of coronavirus.

The presidency said Ramaphosa and his team had been tested for COVID-19 several times during their visits to four West African countries last week.

Some of the President’s delegation tested positive in Nigeria and returned directly to South Africa. For the rest of the trip, Ramaphosa and his delegation were negative.

“The President and his delegation returned from the Republic of Senegal to South Africa on Wednesday, 8 December 2021, after a negative test result.

“The president also said no when he returned to Johannesburg on December 8,” he said.

In his statement, Ramaphosa mentioned that his infection served to warn all citizens of the importance of being vaccinated and being vigilant against exposure.

“Vaccination remains the best protection against serious illness and hospitalization,” the statement said.

“People who have been in contact with the president today are advised to take care of their symptoms or get tested,” he added.

South Africa is currently battling a rapid recovery driven by the Omicron variant, health officials say.

In early November, South Africa was registering about 200 new cases, but infections began rises significantly shortly after.

The country registered more than 18,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday night.

More than 70 percent of cases are estimated to be Omicron, according to genetic sequencing surveys.

So far, most cases have been relatively mild, and doctors say the percentage of serious cases that require oxygen has been low.