The reproduction rate in the South African province at the epicenter of the new variant outbreak has risen from less than one to more than three in less than a month.
Public health officials in Gauteng province looked at the R0 (R-zero value), a mathematical term that indicates how contagious an infectious disease is.
The number following ‘R’ indicates the average number of people who will contract COVID-19 from an infected person.
This means that officials believe that at least three people will become infected if they come into contact with an infected person.
In fact, officials estimate that the number could reach 3.5.
In South Africa, daily new cases reached 11,535 on Thursday, an increase of 370% in a week, a third more than the 8,500 registered on Wednesday.
Ómicron has become the dominant strain in the country in just over a week since it was officially discovered, accounting for 75% of the sequenced samples.