The latest data out of South Africa looks to be very good news in regards to the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Despite a month of hysterics from mostly Western leaders, it appears the initial evidence that Omicron is mild is playing out over time.

South Africa, despite being in the midst of its Omicron wave, is reporting lowering hospitalization rates. Worldwide deaths due to the variant also remain extremely low.

This per the New York Post.

South African hospitalization rates drop during Omicron surge https://t.co/WZZ7fFTf1U pic.twitter.com/x0c4DlvAfI

— New York Post (@nypost) December 17, 2021

The South African health minister delivered some encouraging news Friday about the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, citing a much lower rate of hospitalizations amid a milder form of the illness.

Only 1.7 percent of COVID-19 patients were admitted in the second week of infections during the fourth wave of the pandemic, compared to 19 percent in the same week of the third Delta-driven wave, Joe Phaahla told reporters, Bloomberg News reported…

…“We believe that it might not necessarily just be that Omicron is less virulent, but … coverage of vaccination [and] … natural immunity of people who have already had contact with the virus is also adding to the protection,” Phaahla said, according to Reuters.

This is excellent news for those who don’t rely on COVID-19 to maintain their notoriety, financial gains, and power. And while South Africa’s health minister is also crediting vaccinations, the country has only administered enough doses to fully vaccine 23% of the population. In other words, South Africa is far worse off than the “unvaccinated” areas in the United States that politicians are constantly preaching doom about.

Yet, the data shows that despite the low vaccination rate, a combination of Omicron being less virulent and natural immunity are leading to largely positive outcomes. So, what are Western leaders doing in response? Doubling down on draconian mitigation measures, of course.

Listen to Dr. Anthony Fauci and New York CIty Mayor Bill de Blasio this morning.

"Mandates-that's a radioactive word. Requirements people seem to respond better to that. They work," says Dr. Fauci. "We are never going to get out of this outbreak if we still have 50 million people who for reasons that are very difficult to understand refuse to get vaccinated." pic.twitter.com/4378v2pzNe

— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) December 17, 2021

.@NYCMayor De Blasio defends vax mandates: “Human beings are pretty predictable. If you say, ‘Your paycheck depends on it, or your ability to enjoy life, and go do the things you want to do,’ people will make the practical decision … but we’re not pushing hard enough" pic.twitter.com/ufYk2NAipg

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) December 17, 2021

As I’ve said before, these people are never going to stop. It doesn’t matter that Omicron appears to actually be a preferable variant that could lead us out of the pandemic by becoming a mild, endemic strain. If COVID ends, Fauci’s fame ends, Scott Gottlieb’s cable news hits come to an end, Pfizer’s profits plummet, and Democrat politicians lose the absolute power they’ve accrued. Thus, the hysteria will continue until people simply stop complying, something that is already happening in many parts of the US.

To be clear, we are likely to see deaths rise some as Omicron becomes more prominent in countries with larger obese and elderly populations. Still, we are firmly at the point where any claim that Omicron is “more dangerous,” that it requires more draconian mitigation, or that it requires a new vaccine needs to be backed up with actual data, not baseless fear-mongering. As it stands, until evidence emerges to contrary (and even then, personal liberty should reign supreme), there is no justification for more lockdowns, mask mandates, or vaccine passport systems.

With all that said, pay attention to who keeps pushing that stuff — and never listen to them again.