* Hospitalizations in Gauteng, South Africa, have increased by 330% over the past two weeks, according to official data
* Gauteng, the most populous province in the nation, was where the Omicron variant was first sequenced last week
* Despite the recent surge, South African health officials say that cases of Omicron are relatively mild compared to others
* Gauteng is one of the least vaccinated provinces in the nation, with less than 40% of the population having received their shots
* Some experts fear that the variant can evade protection provided by vaccines due to the amount of mutations it has
The South African province where the Omicron COVID-19 variant was first detected has suffered a more than 300 percent increase in virus related hospitalizations this week.
Gauteng, which includes the city of Johannesburg, recorded 580 hospitalizations because of the virus this week, per official data - a 330 percent jump from 135 two weeks ago.
Just under 40 percent of the provinces 12 million residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine - third-lowest of the nation's 12 provinces.
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WNU Editor: This new data contradicts what the South African authorities are saying .... Top South African Doctor Confirms No Evidence Omicron Variant More Harmful Than Delta As G-7 Pushes "Urgent Action" (Zero Hedge) See below:
Angelique Coetzee, The chairwoman of the South African Medical Association, on travel bans for #SouthAfrica.
— STESS News USA (@stessewsen) November 27, 2021
She says "The new Omicron variant of the coronavirus results in mild disease, without prominent syndromes" . #STESSNews #breakingnews #COVID19 #Omicron #Africa pic.twitter.com/PBTxQECWqa