Coetzee suggested that there are rare cases of the omicron variant.
During a Christmas Eve interview on MSNBC, Coetzee was asked if she intended to say that there was not a case of omicron.
Experts say to take a quick COVID-19 test before a holiday gathering.
The chairwoman of the South African Medical Association told MSNBC on Friday that she doesn't recommend rapid tests for individuals until symptoms arise from the variant, but rapid tests will identify or confirm cases in those experiencing symptoms. She said there was no reason to test if you didn't have symptoms.
If you have positive symptoms of omicron, rapid testing will only work, according to the doctor.
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Coetzee has been quoted in the past as saying that omicron cases are different from other cases because they are milder and manifest differently.
Coetzee said that her findings suggest that omicron attacks the musculoskeletal system to start with and therefore symptoms, when they appear, impact muscles, bones, joints and ligaments and might be described as aches and pains by those afflicted, rather than the type of upper-respiratory response.
If they are positive after 18 hours, you can believe it. They are a good source to use.
Dr. Coetzee.
People will tell us that they felt warm and cold in the night and woke up with a throbbing head.
Wait about 18 hours and take the test. If they are positive after 18 hours, you can believe it. She said they are a good source to use.
Several major airlines, including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and JetBlue Airways Corp., have canceled hundreds of flights due to the weather.
Staffing at hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical operations is being squeezed as a result of the new variant of coronaviruses.
The White House announced on Friday that the U.S. will lift restrictions imposed on southern African countries on New Year's Eve.
The Nov. 29 ban prevented non–U.S. citizens who had recently been in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and other countries from entering the US.
The World Health Organization last month designated omicron a variant of concern because of the high number of mutations on the spike protein, which is the site of which most treatments and vaccines target.
In the US, omicron infections accounted for more than 70% of new domestic infections in the week through December 18.
South Africa offers grounds for cautious optimism on the omicron variant.
Treatments for the omicron variant are easy, Coetzee said in an interview with the Times of India on Tuesday.
After the diagnosis, we start with low-dosage cortisone and something like ibuprofen to help with the headaches and muscle pain. That is what we give. There is nothing else. She was quoted by the publication as saying that there was no oxygen or antibiotics needed.
The spread of omicron is causing headaches for offices and schools that want to remain open after the holiday break.
The administration is going to distribute 500 million free rapid at- home tests in January, as well as other initiatives to quell the spread of the virus, according to President Joe Biden.
Biden said Tuesday that the current moment was fundamentally different from the early days of the Pandemic. The president said that it was a lot better than it was, but that they were taking more steps to make it easier to get tests.
Financial markets have been shaking off fears about the spread of this latest coronaviruses strain, with the S&P 500 SPX, +0.62% booking its 68th record close of 2021, on Friday and the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.55% and the Nasdaq COMP, +0.7
