By Reuters Staff

       1 Min Read

       FILE PHOTO: Empty recliners are seen at the popular Camps Bay Beach as numbers of international tourists decline following recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) travel restrictions, in Cape Town, South Africa, December 3, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

       JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa reported a record number of daily COVID-19 infections on Wednesday in a fourth infection wave believed to be caused by the Omicron coronavirus variant.

       The National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported 26,976 new infections, surpassing a peak of 26,485 new cases in early July during a third wave driven by the Delta variant.

       Reporting by Alexander Winning, Editing by William Maclean

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