Mia Malan, editor-in-chief of Bhekisisa - an award-winning health journalism centre in South Africa - speaks to us about what Ireland can learn from South Africa's experience of dealing with an Omicron-fuelled surge in cases. How did the country's hospitals fare, why is South Africa so good at identifying variants - and do we finally have enough evidence to say for sure that Omicron is 'milder'?The Explainer is brought to you by The Journal. Providing open access to valuable journalism in Ireland has been the aim of The Journal for a decade. You can contribute to ensure we can keep questioning, investigating, debunking, explaining and informing at www.thejournal.ie/contribute/