Omicron is now the dominant coronavirus variant in Cape Town, the South African Medical Research Council said, citing wastewater analyses.
The variant was found in 11 of 12 wastewater samples collected in Cape Town on Nov. 30, the council said in a statement on Friday. The delta variant was only dominant at one wastewater plant in the city, it said.
People infected with Covid-19 shed viral particles in their feces. While the particles are not infectious, they provide an indication of the prevalence of the disease and can be used to determine which variant is dominant. t
Gauteng Province is where South African scientists first identified the omicron variant. New cases have surged in that province, which is about 800 miles from Cape Town.
Omicron was also identified in samples from Nelson Mandela Bay, a municipal area about 550 miles south west of Gauteng.
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