Health Minister Joe Phaahla says he believes that as the country moves closer to winter, there will be an expectation of a fifth wave of Covid-19 infections. The Minister briefed the media on Friday on government's efforts to fight Covid-19 as well as the national vaccine rollout programme. The minister focused most of the briefing on the decline in infections, with South Africa officially having reached the end of the fourth wave. "We again appeal to all South Africans to seize the opportunity of protecting themselves and those around them now," Phaahla said. "While the fourth wave remains stable, even though we are not completely out of it while the rate remains above 10%, we know that the virus is still very far from being eliminated." However, the minister touched on a fifth wave of infections becoming a reality later in the year.

"It is expected that by the end of February we will reach below 5% positivity, which will signal stability, but there is also expectation that as we get closer to winter, the fifth wave will break out – or even earlier, depending on variants of concern." The minister added that only high coverage vaccination would reduce the emergence of more variants. This prediction was in keeping with when and how the previous waves of infections emerged since the pandemic started in 2020.