Amid the rising fear of new Omicron variant of COVID-19, the chairwoman of the South African Medical Association, Angelique Coetzee, told Sputnik on Saturday that the new variant results in mild disease.
It is to be noted that Omicron was identified as a ‘variant of concern’ by WHO on Friday. According to experts, Omicron carries 32 mutations and that’s why it is more dangerous and highly transmisible. The new variant was named Omicron by WHO on Friday.
“It presents mild disease with symptoms being sore muscles and tiredness for a day or two not feeling well. So far, we have detected that those infected do not suffer loss of taste or smell. They might have a slight cough. There are no prominent symptoms. Of those infected some are currently being treated at home,” Coetzee said.
Coetzee said that South Africa has not seen any suddens spike in Omicron patients and the new strain is not found in any vaccinated person so far. “We will only know this after two weeks. Yes, it is transmissible, but for now, as medical practitioners, we do not know why so much hype is being driven as we are still looking into it. We will only know after two to three weeks as there are some patients admitted and these are young people aged 40 and younger,” Coetzee added.
Coetzee also expressed disappointment over the decision by some countries to ban flights from South Africa. The emergence of new variant in South Africa has forced United States, the European Union, Canada, Israel, Australia, and other countries to restric flights from South Africa
