South African Medical Association Says Omicron Variant Causes 'Mild Disease'

JOHANNESBURG (Sputnik) - The new Omicron variant of the coronavirus results in mild disease, without prominent symptoms, Angelique Coetzee, the chairwoman of the South African Medical Association, told Sputnik on Saturday.

"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

The official noted that hospitals have not been overburdened by Omicron patients and that the new strain has not been detected in vaccinated persons. At the same time, the situation might be different for unvaccinated individuals.

"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.

FILE PHOTO: Vials labelled "COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine" and sryinge are seen in front of displayed South Africa flag in this illustration

© REUTERS / Dado Ruvic

The chairwoman also criticised the decision by some countries to ban flights from South Africa as premature, because there is not enough information on how dangerous it is.

Following the reports about the new strain, the United States, the European Union, Canada, Israel, Australia, and other countries have restricted travel from several southern African nations over health concerns.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday indentified the new South African strain as one of concern, as it is reported to carry a high number of mutations — 32 — which possibly makes it more transmissible and dangerous. The WHO has dubbed it Omicron, the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.