South African Hospitals on Alert as Omicron Impact Assessed.

As many as 68% of hospitalized coronavirus patients in the Pretoria area last month were under 40, an analysis of 640 admissions by the NICD showed. (Bloomberg) -- South African hospitals are bracing for an increase in admissions from a rise in omicron-driven infections, as scientists grapple with questions about the severity of the illness caused by the new coronavirus strain. Young Patients Netcare Ltd., which operates South Africa's largest private health-care network, had about 200 Covid-19 patients by late last week even though infections were rising rapidly, indicating that most cases were mild to moderate, according to Richard Friedland, its chief executive officer. [Extracted from the article]