Karnataka Health Minister claims: Omicron not as dangerous as Delta; After discussion with the doctors in South Africa, he said - its infection is not serious either.

Karnataka Health Minister DK Sudhakar said on Monday that the sample of one of the two South African nationals who came to Bangalore is different from the delta variant. The minister said that the 63-year-old foreign national's report shows that he has come in contact with some different type of coronavirus. Sudhakar himself is a medical professional and has spoken to his fellow doctors in South Africa to claim that the Omicron variant is not as dangerous as the Delta.

Sudhakar said, 'It is a matter of satisfaction that it is spreading rapidly but its infection is not serious. So there is nothing to be afraid of. However, we are in touch with the Union Health Ministry and ICMR. South Africa first reported this variant to the WHO on 24 November. It is considered a variant of concern. Its cases have been reported in about 15 countries. After this, many countries including India have tightened travel restrictions. States have also been advised to increase testing and tracking.

Angelique Coetzee, president of the South African Medical Association, has already said that mild disease is being seen in this variant. Symptoms include muscle aches and fatigue for one day or being sick for two days. However, it does not face the problem of losing the ability to smell or taste the infected. The official says that the number of Omicron patients in the hospital is not much. Some patients have been admitted and all of them are young, whose age is 40 years or less.