‘Where were these studies done?’ | SAMA chair questions UK Omicron data

Omicron’s coming home: England, and the rest of the UK, is battling with an outbreak of the new COVID-19 variant. Its reaction has been markedly different from the one witnessed in South Africa – something that has not escaped the attention of SA Medical Association Chair Dr. Angelique Coetzee.

While proceeding with caution, the NCCC is yet to announce any additional lockdown restrictions – despite Omicron cases ripping through South Africa in the past month. The new strain is more transmissible, but it also appears to cause a more mild form of the illness. Hospitalisation and death rates have remained relatively low.

Omicron latest: One variant, two different responses

However, the UK is hitting the panic button. Additional restrictions have been brought in before Christmas, and some within the scientific community are pushing for harder measures before the new year.

Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty has cast doubt on the mildness of the Omicron variant. On Wednesday, he also stated that South Africa had a ‘very high’ amount of seroprevalence, musing that this was the reason behind low hospitalisation rates in the fourth wave. Dr. Coetzee, however, doesn’t see it that way.

Dr. Coetzee questions UK data on Omicron

Instead, she believes that only half of the population in the ‘epicentre’ of Gauteng has previous protection against COVID. Considering that Britain has a superior vaccination rate, its own high infection levels, and a booster programme that has seen roughly 25 million ‘third jabs’ dished out, the UK is likely to have its own wall of virus protection.

• Speaking to GB News, Dr. Coetzee rejected any notion that Gauteng, or SA as a whole, is approaching herd immunity.

“I’ll say what I’ve said before. In our communities, we have no herd immunity. People say we have a high seroprevalence against COVID… but I’m not sure where these studies were done. The main point is this: Half of the patients we see are unvaccinated. This is the group with no documented COVID illnesses before. They have no jabs.”

“If we look at the data from the community, seroprevalence is more like 50%. They also get mild disease, it takes a majority 3-4 days to recover. The intensity of the symptoms are less severe in the vaccinated, it must be said.”

Dr. Angelique Coetzee

Angelique Coetzee calls for calm overseas

While mixed messages continue to fly out of the UK, Dr. Coetzee hasn’t changed her tone at all. She says there is no need to panic, particularly in Britain… where things are getting a little bit ropey.

“Omicron can assist us. We are going towards an endemic version of COVID. A fast-spreading virus that’s so highly transmissible can peak very quickly – as we’ve seen in Gauteng. It has been four weeks now, deaths haven’t increased by much at all. Yes, any viral disease can cause complications, but let’s look at the majority.

“A majority of us will get Omicron. But do we need to panic? No. It’s like people are being primed to go to hospital. They get things like headaches, muscle aches, and mistake it for a more serious illness like meningitis. Then, after referral, their COVID symptoms clear within two to three days, and get sent home instead.”

Dr. Angelique Coetzee