The NICD’s public health specialist, Dr Wassila Jassat, said while the fourth wave – which started in Gauteng – saw a rapid increase in case numbers, there was no similar pattern for admissions and deaths. The fourth wave is dominated by the Omicron variant. Jassat added, that in the last five weeks, there has been a decrease in the number of patients treated in the intensive care unit. The average hospital stay is 4 days. Of the people admitted to the hospital, more than 80% of them, were unvaccinated, especially younger people.