A South African doctor treating patients who tested positive for the Omicron variant on Tuesday said that people who have been vaccinated don’t seem to be suffering from any issues so far.
Monitoring complications could give an early indication of whether COVID-19 vaccines are effective in protecting against serious illness from the new variant.
“The patients that have been vaccinated to date have not experienced any complications,” Angelique Coetzee, the chairperson of the national committee of the South African Medical Association, said to CNN.
She said that patients were treated at home and have not required hospitalization. She said that the cases were mostly seen in younger people. Health officials aren’t certain if the condition causes more severe symptoms in older patients.
She said, “I have seen vaccinated individuals and they are not very sick.” “This could change in the future, but as we say, it’s early days. This is what makes us hopeful.
Coetzee was the first doctor in South Africa to notice that patients were experiencing symptoms that were different than coronavirus strains. These included headaches, fatigue and body pain. Her patients tested positive for COVID-19. She reported the cases to South African health authorities.
Other doctors in South Africa have also said that vaccinated patients with the Omicron variant are having only mild to moderate symptoms, CNN reported. About 90% of those admitted to hospitals aren’t vaccination-free.
Mvuyisi Mzukwa (vice chair of the South African Medical Association), stated to CNN that “We’re seeing younger patients and we’re also seeing milder Omicron cases.”
“Obviously we’re still accumulating data on the distribution of this Omicron in the country however it’s not what is claimed to be out there,” he said. “We don’t see much beyond what we’ve seen in the case of Delta variant.”
The Omicron variant, which is characterized by many mutations, was first discovered in South Africa and has now been discovered in at least 20 countries. Researchers are investigating whether Omicron is more infectious and can cause more severe illness or evades vaccinations. While the first results of the study could be announced within two weeks, information on how vaccines work against this particular variant could take longer.
Sources:
CNN: “Doctor treating Omicron Patients describes what she is seeing.” “Omicron cases were less severe in younger patients,” South African doctor states.
Content Source: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/963960?src=rss
