MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th December, 2021) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, 69, has contracted the coronavirus despite having been vaccinated, the country's presidency informs.
"President Cyril Ramaphosa is receiving treatment for mild COVID-19 symptoms after testing positive for the viral infection today, Sunday, 12 December 2021," the presidency said in a statement.
According to the release, Ramaphosa started feeling unwell earlier on Sunday, after leaving the State Memorial Service in honor of former Deputy President FW de Klerk in Cape Town. Despite COVID-19, the president is in "good spirits."
"The President, who is fully vaccinated, is in self-isolation in Cape Town and has delegated all responsibilities to Deputy President David Mabuza for the next week," Ramaphosa's office said.
According to the presidency, Ramaphosa's coronavirus tests taken during and immediately after his recent visit to West African states came back negative.
Earlier this month, Ramaphosa said that the Omicron coronavirus variant accounts for most of the new COVID-19 cases in the majority of South African provinces. The Omicron strain was first identified in South Africa in late November. The World Health Organization (WHO) designated the strain as a variant of concern due to its high transmissibility rate.
