SOME people appear at greater risk of the dangerous Omicron variant, it’s been suggested.
According to the doctor who first identified the super-strain in the patient, there has been a specific type of person falling ill with new symptoms.
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Private practitioner Dr Angelique Coetzee was quizzed about her knowledge of Omicron during its expansion into new countries, including the UK.
Speaking of its discovery, she told Good Morning Britain: “For about eight to 10 weeks we hadn’t seen any new Covid cases in our region where we are practising.
“Then all of a sudden on the 18th November, I saw young men coming through with symptoms similar to a viral infection.
“We did rapid testing, they were positive for Covid-19.”
She claimed that she saw her first man when she was 30 years old. “very seldom”These people come to her surgery from this age group.
After seeing seven more patients, she alerted an advisory board that there was a new variant of the disease. This was based on the fact that patients were younger than usual and were showing different symptoms. Also, cases were increasing sharply.
Experts said that the majority of cases were in young people and there had been outbreaks at universities when the alarm was first raised last week.
Dr. Coetzee was unable to explain why Omicron testing in young people and men was so high.
It is possible that they may be more vulnerable to it. There are many reasons why this could be.
For instance, Dr. Coetzee didn’t reveal if the young men had been vaccinated. However, she previously said to Reuters that approximately half of those she’s treated have not received a jab.
This could explain why young people are seeing more than older persons, who are given priority for Covid jabs.
Only a quarter of South Africa’s population has been double vaccinated, despite all over 18s being eligible for their two doses.
Dr Cotezee was asked if there was any pattern in Omicron patients’ vaccination status. He said that two patients with full jabs, both over 60 years old, had visited the surgery this weekend.
She stated that the couple had received their second doses of Pfizer in August.
This suggests that even people with prime protection could be at risk of getting Omicron.
Scientists have warned that vaccines won’t work against the new variant of the virus.
Jabs are still the most important way to protect yourself, your family and against strain.
Severity and symptoms
Dr. Coetzee said that Omicron’s symptoms are different than those experienced with other variants, including the dominant Delta.
She believes that the main symptoms of fatigue, body pains, and headaches, based on her previous patients, are the ones she has seen.
The NHS has identified the three main symptoms of Covid as new cough, loss taste/smell, and high temperature over almost 18 months.
However, as the virus evolved and people are vaccinated, experts believe it has milder symptoms.
Dr. Coetzee is also a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Vaccines and told Reuters that, unlike Delta, patients have so far not reported any loss of taste or smell.
She claimed that all patients she has seen had mild illnesses.
It’s not clear, however, if this is simply because they are typically younger.
South Africa’s health minister Joe Phaahla Dr Phaahla said young people, for whom vaccination rates are relatively low in South Africa, appeared most affected.
Asked by BBC’s Andrew Marr if young unvaccinated people are ending up in hospital, Dr Phaahla said: “Yes. Younger, unvaccinated people … 65 per cent of those they’ve admitted, who are mainly younger people, are actually those who are unvaccinated.”
Dr Phaahla stated that he had heard from GPs about the fact that there was no shortage of doctors who believe in this. “majority of the people they’ve been seeing are mild”But it should be stressed that it is “not proper research”.
Asked what he knows about how unwell people are who have the new strain, Dr Phaahla said: “It is still too early at this stage.
“Some of what I’ve read from some of our clinicians has been that thus far they have not witnessed severe illness. Part of it may be because the majority of those who are positive are young people.”
Experts continue to investigate whether the variant is more dangerous than other versions and if vaccines will be less effective.
Prof Lawrence Young, Virologist and Professor of Molecular Oncology, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, said: “We don’t know whether infection with Omicron will result in more severe or mild disease, although early indications from South Africa suggest that fully vaccinated individuals can get infected but develop mild symptoms.
“South African hospitals are experiencing an increase in the number of young patients admitted to their facilities with severe or moderately severe diseases. Many of these people are either not vaccinated or have only received one dose.
“This could suggest, as we hope,” that full and boosted vaccines are able to protect against the Omicron variant of the disease as it is for all other variants.
“It will take a couple of weeks for laboratory studies to determine whether the antibodies induced by current vaccines are able to block infection with Omicron.”
The variant was designated Omicron by World Health Organization last week. It was announced by South Africa’s National Institute of Communicable Diseases on November 25.
The UK quickly acted to implement new quaratine measures for several southern African countries.
Experts have since confirmed that the strain was detected nine times.
Ministers announced that a number of Covid restrictions will be reintroduced in an effort to stop high-speed transmission.
This includes the return of mandatory mask-wearing in shops and public transport from Tuesday.
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