A Zvishavane medical doctor has confirmed that the flu-like symptoms that many have been experiencing have turned out to be the new Covid 19 variant, Omicron.
In an interview with Great Dyke News 24, Dr. Wilson Mupariwa said flu-like cases presenting to his surgery have turned out to be Covid 19 after testing.
“It actually is omicron because in the past week l got about thirty to forty kits and we found about thirty-something positives so it actually is omicron.
“You find that if you do test one or two people from a company who turn out positive, you will hear that there are other people with similar symptoms at home,” he said.
“At one time a family of six came for testing and four of them tested positive,’ he added.
He listed the three common complaints that patients with the covid 19 new variant are presenting.
“The most common symptoms of omicron are headaches, sore throat which will be on and off and joint weaknesses and those are the most common symptoms l found,” he said.
During the YAFM and Great Dyke webinar Dr. Mupariwa pointed out that the new variant is more transmissible.
“The real issue regarding omicron is that it is more infectious compared to the previous variants but still it does account for deaths, there are some deaths being reported here in Zimbabwe and from abroad,” he said.
He also urged Zimbabweans to continue adhering to covid 19 protocols saying covid-19 is a disease that is infectious and deadly.
“It’s actually important for people to continue masking up, sanitizing, maintaining social distance, restricting travels, and continue protecting themselves.
“Now it appears that the society is less concerned about testing positive compared to the last variant when people were afraid of dying.
“Some people are actually bragging that they have omicron and they don’t get to seek medical attention.
“In terms of peers advising those who have tested positive to take medicine, the rate has decreased because most people think that this variant is not deadly,” added Dr. Mupariwa.
