(Bloomberg) --

South Africa’s economic hub, Gauteng province, has fully inoculated 33% of its adult population of more than 15 million people as the country enters a coronavirus resurgence driven by the omicron variant. 

More than 7 million vaccines have been administered in the province that is the epicenter of a rise in new infections due to a new variant that was detected in South Africa last month. 

“Our province is at the cusp of the fourth wave in the sense that with the new variant, we are the principal focus,” Gauteng Premier David Makhura said at an event on Thursday. “The infections are rising rapidly, driven from the north of our province in Tshwane -- that is where the resurgence is.”

Vaccination coverage in the province has increased over the past week since the discovery of the omicron variant was announced. More than 100,000 people between 12 and 17-years-old have been inoculated, Adiel Chikobvu, a director in charge of Health Economics and Financing in the Gauteng Department of Health, said at the same event.

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