Chairwoman of the South African Medical Association and private practitioner Dr. Angelique Coetzee, one of the doctors who first identified the Omicron variant of COVID-19, says that the government and media are overreacting to an even milder strain of COVID.
“Looking at the mildness of the symptoms that we are seeing, currently there is no reason for panicking, as we don’t see severely ill patients,” explained Coetzee in an interview with Reuters.
“I also checked with the hospitals, some of the hospitals in my area, and one of the biggest hospitals that have one patient currently that’s COVID positive on a ventilator, and they don’t even know whether it’s COVID or whether it’s Delta, or whether it is Omicron related.”
NEW: From Reuters🚨
South African Doctor:
"Looking at the the mildness of the symptoms, there is no reason for panicking, as we don't see severely ill patients"
"The hype that's been created out there in the media & worldwide doesn't correlate with the clinical picture" pic.twitter.com/g7tSas0qqK
— Rosie's Virus Branding Crisis (@DarnelSugarfoo) November 28, 2021
“We acknowledge that it might change going forward,” Coetzee continues, “but the hype that’s been created out currently out there in the media and worldwide doesn’t correlate with the clinical picture. And it doesn’t warrant to just cut us off from any travelling and ban South Africa as if we are the variants in the whole process.”
“It should not be like that.”
Coetzee further details the discovery of the new variant, saying that she hadn’t seen a COVID patient in months until a few patients came in showing some symptoms consistent and inconsistent with the Delta variant, prompting South African doctors to administer tests.
Again, she stresses that the new symptoms she saw, including excess fatigue, are mild and adds that symptoms are so mild they can be treated at home over a few days.
Moreover, not a single patient diagnosed with the Omicron variant needed to be taken to surgery or ICUs.
Two differences between the Omicron and Deltas variant, which Coetzee notes, is that patients do not report a loss of taste nor significant drops in oxygen levels.
Despite her report, the media has fired up the fearmongering machine, again, pumping out article after article justifying the government’s imposition of travel bans and other restrictions.
Pharmaceutical companies are also preparing for their next cash grab, saying they’ll have a new vaccine ready in three to four months, as some reports suggest the Omicron is resistant to current vaccines.
So, don’t worry. The government will still compel you to get jabbed for an even less-lethal variant of an already mild virus.
