Salim Abdool Karim, a public health expert at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said that while only a "modest" rise in cases had been noted, South Africa was also in the middle of a holiday period and testing had dropped significantly. He said the cases were slowing and were "not following a rocket-like upward trajectory we would expect" in another spike of disease. 
Salim Abdool Karim, katswiri wa zaumoyo ku sukulu ya ukachenjede ya KwaZulu-Natal, wati ngakhale pali chiwerengero chochepa cha odwala COVID, South Africa inali pakati pa tchuthi ndipo chiwerengero cha oyezetsa matendawa chinatsika. Iwo ati chiwerengerochi chimachepa ndipo, "sichimakwera ngati mmene timayembekezera," pa matendawa.