"The 5th wave has arrived. Take care of yourself", warned on Twitter the genomic research center led by virologist Tulio de Oliveira, who became famous for spotting the Beta and Omicron variants.
The number of new infections in the past 24 hours is still up from the previous day, with 5,062 cases and 15 deaths, according to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD).
With a ratio of 6.3 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants and a positivity rate above 10% (16.9%), "based on previous waves, these are thresholds indicating a continuous increase", added on Twitter , Ridhwaan Suliman, researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), a government research institute.
The figures recorded in recent days are the highest for almost three months in the country and a marked increase compared to two weeks ago.
Health Minister Joe Phaahla already expressed his "concern" last week.
At the beginning of March, the country had experienced a period of 48 hours without any death linked to Covid, a first since 2020.
South Africa, which has a population of nearly 60 million, has recorded more than 3.7 million cases and nearly 100,350 deaths.
© 2022 AFP