[imagesource: Matthias Balk / Getty Images]

As of last night’s statistics, 14 802 806 South Africans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

That’s around 29% of the country’s adult population, which is well short of the target of 67% by the end of 2021.

As restrictions loosen, and we near the festive season, we’re looking at an inevitable surge in the infection rate.

Yesterday, South Africa recorded just 146 new confirmed COVID-19 infections, along with nine deaths, and a testing positivity rate of 1%.

The National Institute For Communicable Diseases shared this last night:

#COVID19 UPDATE: A total of 14,477 tests were conducted in the last 24hrs, with 146 new cases, which represents a 1.0% positivity rate. A further 9 #COVID19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 88,934 to date.
See more here: https://t.co/5PALn68Pbe pic.twitter.com/5BjlGMqL38

— NICD (@nicd_sa) October 25, 2021

That’s very encouraging, but according to the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA), “there is sufficient evidence to suggest that a fourth wave is likely to emerge in December”.

More via BusinessTech:

…the fourth wave of Covid-19 infections [is] expected to hit the country in December 2021 and into January 2022…

The severity will most likely depend on whether South Africa achieves its vaccination targets, [ASSA] said.

Actuary Adam Lowe, a member of the ASSA Covid-19 Working Group, says while it is unlikely that South Africa will avoid a fourth wave of infections, the severity will most likely depend on whether the country is successful in building immunity in the majority of the adult population through widespread vaccination to augment any natural immunity present.

Given that there is a 42-day waiting period between getting your first Pfizer vaccine dose and your second, you would need to get your first jab this week in order to receive your second in the week ending December 14.

Even after getting your second jab, you’re only considered fully vaccinated two weeks after that date.

In other words, if you haven’t yet received your first dose and want to make sure you’re doing your utmost to protect friends and family come Christmas time, you better get cracking.

With an uptick in the number of vaccinated people, it is hoped that a fourth wave, while showing a spike in the number of infections, wouldn’t claim as many lives as previous waves.

However, if a new variant was to emerge, against which current vaccines don’t offer sufficient protection, our high care units could once more be overwhelmed.

As tired as we all are, the battle is still far from over.

You can listen to Lowe’s interview with Radio 702’s Bongani Bingwa below:

[sources:bustech&radio702]