Encouraging new data from South Africa regarding the new African Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which so far indicates that it causes mild illness, as noted in a new Facebook post by Elias Mosialos, a professor of Health Policy at the London School of Economics (LSE) and Imperial College London.
His entire post reads as follows:
«I wrote yesterday that we obviously have many unanswered questions, and among them is whether the new Omicron variant changes the clinical picture and symptoms, and, most importantly, whether it makes the disease more severe.
Dr. Angelique Coetzee, president of the South African Medical Association, stated that, based on what is known so far, the Omicron variant causes mild illness. More specifically, she said that symptoms appear to last 1–2 days and consist mainly of fatigue and muscle aches, sometimes accompanied by a cough. Furthermore, among those who have contracted the virus, no one has lost their sense of smell or taste, and some have already returned home.
He also commented on the situation in hospitals, noting that they are not facing a greater burden due to admissions of patients infected with the Omicron variant. He also noted that we will have to wait a few weeks for more data on transmissibility, »mainly to see what clinical symptoms the unvaccinated are exhibiting.”.
«I agree,» concludes Mr. Mosialos, «with her measured and well-reasoned statement to the Sputnik news agency: “It may be highly contagious, yes, but so far the cases we’re seeing are extremely mild. Maybe in two weeks I’ll have a different opinion, but that’s what we’re seeing right now. So, are we seriously concerned? No. We’re concerned and we’re monitoring the situation.”.
