The South African government on Tuesday announced it has decided to reinstate measures to trace the contacts of coronavirus-infected people after facing a backlash over plans to scrap the protocol, reported CGTN News.
The method of tracing the contacts of an infected person and testing them has so far been very crucial in understanding the spread of the virus and containing it.
But, last week, the health authorities said they would stop contact tracing everywhere except places like prisons and schools, as they believed most of the population had already been exposed to the virus through vaccination or infection.
The decision was taken at a time when the country is experiencing the fourth wave of coronavirus, triggered by the omicron variant. The health agency noted this strategy is no longer appropriate.
“The department of health has been inundated with media, stakeholders, and public inquiries and comments since the release of the revised protocols,” the South African health agency said. “The department has decided to put the implementation of the revised policy changes on hold while taking all… comments and inputs received into consideration.”
The South African health authorities said they would release a new amended circular once all comments had been assessed.
Before the new changes, the contact cases were made to undergo a test if they started developing symptoms. If they tested positive, they were to isolate for 10 days then resume their activities as normal after recovery without another test.
South Africa is the worst coronavirus-affected country in Africa, with nearly 3.4 million positive test results and more than 90,000 deaths from a population of 59 million.
In related news, a new research paper released by South African scientists claims that infection with the Omicron variant can also strengthen immunity against the earlier Delta strain, reducing the risk of severe disease.
