Dr. Angelique Coetzee, the chairwoman of the South African Medical Association (SAMA), made this revelation during her interview with German newspaper Die Welt. According to her, she was told not to say omicron-infected patients presented milder symptoms than those who caught earlier COVID-19 variants.
“I was told not to publicly state that it was a mild illness. I have been asked to refrain from making such statements and to say that it is a serious illness, [but] I declined,” Coetzee told the paper.
The physician based in Pretoria – one of South Africa’s three capitals – did not elaborate on the identities of the officials who told her to keep quiet. She added that while officials in her home country did not try to pressure her, health authorities in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands criticized her.
“What I said at one point – because I was just tired of it – was in
South Africa, this is a mild illness; but in Europe, it is a very
serious one. That’s what [their] politicians wanted to hear,” added
Coetzee....<<<Read More>>>...
