South African physician Angelique Kutze was the first to report omicron mutations. [남아공 의사협회 유튜브 캡처]
A South African doctor who first reported the new mutation of COVID-19, Omicron, said the infected patient’s symptoms were mainly mild, such as fatigue and headache, and were different from the Delta mutation.
South African doctor Angelique Kuche told Bloomberg on the 30th local time about the symptoms of Omicron and explained that it could be overcome enough to cause mild symptoms.
Kuche is a practicing physician in Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, and also the president of the Medical Association of South Africa.
He said that the corona infected person did not come to the hospital for several weeks, but from the 18th local time, patients complaining of corona symptoms started pouring in.
Patients complained of headaches and muscle aches, sometimes with a sore throat or coughing.
Kutze said he thought these symptoms were too different from those caused by the delta mutation.
Delta has the property of numbing the senses of smell and taste by accelerating the patient’s pulse and eventually lowering oxygen saturation, but these patients did not have such symptoms.
He immediately informed the government’s COVID-19 medical advisory committee, and explained that Omicron was discovered the following week.
“I didn’t think it could be a symptom of a delta mutation,” Kuche said.
“Omicron won’t just go away, but hopefully it will only cause mild symptoms,” he said.
In South Africa, it is reported that a small number of cases of Omicron breakthrough infection among vaccinated persons have been reported.
Barry Schub, head of the South African government’s vaccine advisory committee, told Bloomberg TV that “many of those who have been vaccinated have been infected with Omicron, but so far the symptoms have been mild.”
Kutze’s patients were mostly young people.
He explained that there was also a 66-year-old who had been vaccinated, but his symptoms were mild.
However, medical organizations around the world are still wary of hasty judgments about the pathogenicity of Omicron.
He points out that it is very dangerous to assume that it will cause only mild symptoms, as an accurate analysis of Omicron has not been done yet.
The World Health Organization (WHO), which is currently analyzing Omicron, said it is premature to talk about its transmission or symptoms.
The WHO is encouraging countries to step up their testing, warning each country that Omicron could lead to a re-spread of COVID-19.
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