Which age group is better protected against Covid-19 and a looming fifth wave?

The health department says six in 10 people over 50 years old are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and are better protected from the looming fifth wave.

The cohort was among the first to get vaccinated for Covid-19 during the second phase of inoculation after health workers last year.

According to the latest stats by the department, there are 3.14-million people over 50 who have received a single dose of the vaccine and 2.9-million who are fully vaccinated.

In the over-60 cohort, 3.8-million have received at least a single dose and 3.5-million are fully vaccinated in that group.

“Six out of 10 people over 50 years are fully vaccinated. This group is better protected as winter and the fifth wave approach,” said the department. 

Health minister Joe Phaahla said last week the fifth wave appeared to have arrived earlier than expected, saying the department had recorded an uptick in daily infections in parts of SA amid low vaccination rates.

He said scientists predicted the fifth wave would hit the rest of the country in the middle of May or early in June. 

“The question at the top of our minds is whether we have entered the fifth wave, which is much earlier than predicted.” 

The department would by Friday have a clearer answer to whether the fifth wave had hit SA. 

“The next seven days until May 6 will give a clearer picture where we are going, whether the fifth wave started earlier without a distinct new variant but driven by sub-variants or it is an early spike driven by the Easter weekend,” he said last week.