According to the doctor who first alerted government scientists to the possibility of a new variant, there are significant differences in symptoms between people infected with “Omicron” and “Delta” strains.
The ‘Omicron’ strain, according to Angelique Coetzee, chairwoman of the South African Medical Association, causes fatigue, headaches, sore throats, and coughs in patients. In contrast, she claims that delta bacterium infections are associated with increased pulse rates, lower oxygen levels, and a loss of smell and taste.
Coetzee said that on Nov. 18, after weeks of seeing almost no Covid patients at her Pretoria practice, where the current surge is centered, she suddenly began hearing from patients who had been exhibiting the symptoms she had previously only heard about. Covid-19 was immediately brought to the attention of the government’s Ministerial Advisory Council, and laboratories discovered a new variant the following week, according to her.
During a Monday interview, she stated, “I said these different symptoms can’t be delta because they’re very similar to beta, or it must be a new strain.” “It will not go away, but it will, in my opinion, be a mild disease. We believe we can handle it for the time being.”
South Africa announced earlier this month, on Nov. 25, that it had discovered yet another strain of the virus, stating that it had first been discovered in neighboring Botswana and then in Tshwane, the municipality in which Pretoria is located. When the news broke, it sent markets into a frenzy, and southern African countries went on the defensive.
While ‘Omicron’ appears to be more transmissible, cases appear to be extremely mild, according to scientists who advise the South African government.
Coetzee’s patients were mostly in their twenties or early thirties in the majority of cases. On Monday, she said, a 66-year-old vaccinated patient had a positive test but was otherwise healthy.
