Patients mostly suffered from mild muscle aches, scratchy throat and dry cough
Doctors in South Africa have speculated that the omicron Covid variation’ssymptoms may be milder than those caused by the globally dominant delta variant, while the WHO cautions that it is still too early to draw any conclusions about the rapidly spreading new strain of SARS. CoV.2.
Dr. Angelique Coetzee, a South African doctor and chair of the South African Medical Association who was one of the first to detect the introduction of a new virus type Omicron in the country, said she spotted seven individuals with symptoms that were not typical of delta.
“This tremendous weariness was what drove them to the surgery,” she told AFP, adding that the patients also had slight muscle aches, a “scratchy throat,” and a dry cough.
Dr. Coetzee, who also serves on the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Vaccines in South Africa, said she informed health officials on November 18 to a “clinical picture that doesn’t fit delta” after seven individuals had distinct symptoms.
“At that point, the symptoms were extremely similar to those of a typical viral infection.” We chose to test because we hadn’t seen Covid-19 in eight to ten weeks,” she told Reuters.
“During the third wave, we saw a lot of delta patients.” This isn’t consistent with the clinical picture. “The majority of them are seeing relatively mild symptoms, and none of them have admitted people to operations so far,” she explained.
Unlike delta, Dr. Coetzee said, patients haven’t reported any loss of smell or taste, and there haven’t been any significant reductions in oxygen levels linked with the new variation. She stated that all of the patients were eligible for “conservative” treatment at home.