The new Omicron variant has been affecting South Africa and other nations, raising concerns among experts across the globe.
However, some South African doctors suspect that the new variant is milder than the Delta variant, which was first identified in India. Omicron seems to be spreading faster, but some experts believe that it is causing milder COVID infection than Delta.
Dr. Unben Pillay, who has been practicing in South Africa for more than 15 years, is seeing dozens of sick patients a day but he did not send anybody to the hospital, which is why he believes Omicron is not as dangerous as Delta.
He said, “They [patients] are able to manage the disease at home. Most have recovered within the 10 to 14-day isolation period.”
Dr. Pillay also said that he has seen older patients and those with underlying health problems, who are more vulnerable to becoming severely ill, were able to manage the disease at home.
Other doctors also have similar stories since the new variant was reported in Southern Africa. However, they warned that it will take many more weeks to have enough data to be sure about Omicron causing milder infection than Delta.
Prof. Willem Hanekom, Director of the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, said, “At the moment, virtually everything points toward it being milder disease. It’s early days, and we need to get the final data. Often hospitalizations and deaths happen later, and we are only two weeks into this wave.”
Meanwhile, researchers across the world are closely keeping a watch on case counts, hospitalizations, and death rates. They are also assessing how well current vaccines and treatments are holding up against Omicron.
Globally, Delta is still the dominant variant, but Omicron cases have been popping up in other countries, with Southern Africa being the epicenter.
Dr. Pillay has been practicing in the Gauteng province, where Omicron has taken hold. Gauteng saw a 400% rise in new cases in the last week. More than 90% of cases were related to Omicron, according to health authorities.
Dr. Pillay said during the last Delta wave, his patients “had trouble breathing and lower oxygen levels,” and “many needed hospitalization within days.” However, he said the patients he is treating now have milder, flu-like symptoms, such as a cough and body aches.
Some of Dr. Pillay’s colleagues have also documented similar observations about the Omicron strain. Netcare, a South African health care company, is also reporting milder cases of Omicron. Netcare is the largest provider of private healthcare in South Africa as well as the United Kingdom.
However, Omicron cases are on the rise, with South Africa confirming nearly 90,000 cases in the past month, according to South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla. He said, “Omicron has driven the resurgence,” citing reports that show 70% of the new cases are from Omicron.
