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MAPUTO. – Mozambique has strengthened the health protocol against Covid-19 at its main border crossings with South Africa due to the recent rise in infections in the neighbouring country, the health authorities announced on Tuesday.

Health teams are positioned at the crossings to verify the results of COVID-19 tests and ensure compliance with the preventive measures among travellers entering Mozambique, said the Director of Health in Maputo Province Yolanda Santos who spoke to the press in Maputo, the Mozambican capital.

Health units also reinforced surveillance, aiming to identify and control any respiratory diseases, said the director, whose province holds the largest crossing point with South Africa – Ressano Garcia.

Health Minister Armindo Tiago last week admitted the possibility of a considerable increase in Covid-19 cases in the country in the near future due to the deteriorated Covid situation in South Africa. Health authorities expect the new infections will be characterised by mild cases, given that 91,4 percent of the target population have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Coronavirus cases are surging again in South Africa, and public health experts are monitoring the situation, eager to know what is driving the spike, what it says about immunity from previous infections and what its implications are globally.

In the past week, cases have tripled, positivity rates are up and hospitalisations have also increased, health officials said. 

The surge has the country facing a possible fifth wave. 

The World Health Organisation said yesterday two new Omicron sub-variants were driving an increase in reported Covid cases in South Africa, stressing the importance of testing to monitor virus mutations and spread.

But now the South African scientists who first identified Omicron are pointing to two other Omicron sub-variants, BA4 and BA5, “as the reason for a spike in cases” in the country, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference. – Agencies