Amid widespread concern about Covid’s new variant Omicron, it is more transmissible than previous variants. A South African doctor who raised the alarm about this new variant revealed that the patients she treated had unusual symptoms.
However, the symptoms were mild, and her patients recovered completely without the need for hospitalization. Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association, informs AFP that she had seen around 30 patients in the previous 10 days. They tested positive for Covid-19 but had unusual symptoms. According to the doctor, Omicron variant patients reported extreme tiredness, mild muscle aches, a scratchy throat, and a dry cough. Only a few people had a slightly elevated temperature.
I’m quite sure a lot of people in Europe already have this virus
Coetzee had notified health officials that the clinical picture did not fit Delta, South Africa’s dominant variant. Scientists had already identified the variant and were working on it at the time. “We are not saying that there will not be severe disease coming forward. But for now, even the patients that we have seen who are not vaccinated have mild symptoms. I’m quite sure a lot of people in Europe already have this virus,” Coetzee says.
The patients were mostly men under 40. While half of them were vaccinated. The variant has brought South Africa much ignominy. The countries have begun isolating South Africa by imposing a blanket ban on travelers. This has the description as a “knee-jerk” reaction by South Africa’s top health federation. Angelique Coetzee is the chairperson of the South African Medical Association. She believes South Africa should get praises rather than chastised for the scientists’ foresight. “My suspicion is because our scientists are very alert and doing a lot of sequencing in the background, maybe those European countries missed it because of the symptoms,” Coetzee told TV news channel Newzroom Afrika.