#10: Video Clip - Interview with Dr. Angelique Coetzee (2 Minutes)
A very informative two-minute follow-up with the South African Doctor at the epicenter of Omicron.
Happy Monday, All:
I wanted to send a quick follow-up on the early reports on Omicron reported yesterday. As Sunday progressed, video clips of interviews with Dr. Angelique Coetzee, the individual previously quoted in The Times of India, began to circulate online.
BBC interviewed Dr. Coetzee, and I included a clip of the video below (it’s short - less than two minutes and worth a view).
This video answered an important question for me - as of the time of her interview with BBC, Dr. Coetzee has not admitted anyone to the hospital for Omicron. This contradicts the article from The Times of India, which is good to know as I was having a difficult time making heads or tails of that snippet from the story.
No hospitalizations is significant to the overall picture, no doubt!
Some other highlights as I listened:
Around the 18th of November, a 30-31 year old presented with “unusual symptoms”.
This individual complained of being extremely tired for 2 days or so, with body aches and pains, a bit of a headache, and a scratchy (but not sore) throat.
(Just my two cents here - but the symptoms themselves don’t seem all that unusual. I know many people who have had mild cases of COVID with one or several of the same symptoms described. Perhaps the fact that they were so mild as compared to previous cases seen? Tough to know for sure, but my assumption would be either mildness or age of the patient stood out from Dr. Coetzee’s previous experiences with COVID.)
She confirmed - no loss of smell or taste.
After this individual tested positive with a rapid test - they followed up with the individual’s family and they all tested positive, as well.
All cases were “very, very mild”.
For the rest of that day, Dr. Coetzee saw patients with similar symptoms - after which she alerted the advisory committee on which she serves. It was later determined that this was the new (Omicron) variant.
She reiterated: Clinically, these are extremely mild cases - and she has spoken to some of her colleagues and it’s the same picture for them.
Now, this is directly from the Dr. at the epicenter of Omicron (in her own words). “Very, very mild.”
Headlines and talking points from authorities, on the other hand - not so mild. Example below:
Omicron variant puts world in a 'race against time', says EU Commission President (CNN)
Needless to say, that’s quite a difference in tone!
As many of us will likely be scratching our heads this week, trying to understand the hype and panic around Omicron and government responses to it - I thought it important to share Dr. Coetzee’s words directly with you. Let’s see where things go from here!
Thanks for reading! More to come.
-G