"As of now, we don't see the need for oxygen or ICU care," Dr Angelique Coetzee said.
'Omicron', the new Covid variant first found in South Africa, does not have the same symptoms one would normally see in the Delta variant, the doctor who alerted government scientists to the possibility of a new variant told NDTV. Mild symptoms like fatigue and body ache have been reported but there are no complaints of stuffy noise and patients who contracted the new strain don't seem to have high temperatures, she added.
Dr Angelique Coetzee, the chairperson of the South African Medical Association, said that people shouldn't panic and see a doctor even if they suspect they have contracted 'Omicron'. "These symptoms get better on their own," she said.
Dr Coetzee said that she can say with some confidence that the new strain is at least just as transmissible as the Delta variant.
"We're not disputing the transmissibility. It's difficult for me to say it's worse than Delta but it's just as transmissible as the Delta variant at this stage. The scientists might tell you that it's more and that's fine. The fact is that it is transmissible and more than the beta variant," she said.
She said that we will know within two weeks if the new strain is escaping vaccine immunity, whether it is causing reinfections, and how clinically bad it's going to be. As of now, we don't see the need for oxygen or ICU care but we will soon have an idea of how many infected people will need to be hospitalised, she added.
Pointing out that it's not an African disease and has been detected the world over, she said we need to wait and see what's going on before closing borders.
She said that 'Omicron' has been detected in younger people, under the age of 30, but they are not severely ill. "But it might change," she cautions.
Stressing the need to rapidly vaccinate and follow Covid appropriate behaviour, she said that vaccines don't guarantee protection from this strain of the virus. "You need to vaccinate, you need to wear masks, and stay away from crowds. But people don't really listen to what we are saying. There are no guarantees that if you take the vaccine, you are not going to get infected. It's so that you don't die, so that your condition doesn't get severe," she concluded.