South Africa Doctor Behind 'Omicron' Alarm Says Suspected Cases Mild

Angelique Coetzee alerted health officials of a "clinical picture that doesn't fit Delta" -- South Africa's dominant variant -- on November 18, when she received the first seven of her 30-odd patients.

A South African doctor who raised the alarm over Omicron said Sunday dozens of her patients suspected of having the new variant had only shown mild symptoms and recovered fully without hospitalisation.

Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association, told AFP she had seen around 30 patients over the past 10 days who tested positive for Covid-19 but had unfamiliar symptoms.

"What brought them to the surgery was this extreme tiredness," she said, speaking from Pretoria, where she practices.

She said this was unusual for younger patients.