×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Saturday
04
Apr 2026
weather symbol
Athens 16°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Doctor who discovered Omicron variant says she was pressured to make the virus sound worse than it actually is

Dr Angelique Coetzee was one of the first to report the new variant in November last year

Newsroom February 11 11:59

The South African doctor who discovered the Omicron strain has revealed she was ‘pressured’ into describing the variant as more dangerous than it really is.

Dr Angelique Coetzee was one of the first to report the new variant in November last year and said it caused ‘mild’ symptoms for those in her country.

>Related articles

Two deaths from influenza and one from COVID-19 in the past week – What the HCDCP report states

A school bus crash in South Africa: At least 13 children dead

Scientists’ alert on avian flu – Could cause a pandemic worse than COVID-19

But she claims she was told by scientists and politicians from around the globe that her description was wrong.

‘Because of all of Covid’s mutations, all of these scientists and politicians who aren’t from South Africa were contacting me telling me I was wrong when I spoke out, that it was a serious disease … they were telling me I had no idea what I was talking about, they kept attacking me,’ Dr Coetzee told The Daily Telegraph.

more at dailymail.co.uk

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#COVID-19#doctor#omicron variant#pressure#south africa
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Balcony collapses in Corinth, killing woman and injuring her children – How the tragedy happened

April 4, 2026

Weather: Rain and thunderstorms today, significant temperature drop after Holy Thursday

April 4, 2026

5,400 doctors have left Greece in the past five years – What their top destination country is

April 4, 2026

OPEKEPE: Papakosta’s falsification over… cattle deemed a felony – What the European Public Prosecutor’s findings say about Karamanlis and Livanos

April 4, 2026

Maria Callas: Nikos Floros’ monumental sculpture travels to the São Paulo Opera

April 4, 2026

420,000 euros in compensation awarded to the relatives of a victim of the Tempi railway tragedy

April 3, 2026

Iran: at least five ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the last 24 hours

April 3, 2026

Easter celebrations limited in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem under the weight of the crisis in the Holy Land

April 3, 2026
All News

> World

Iran: at least five ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the last 24 hours

Oil and commodity markets are anxiously looking for signs that traffic in the Straits is being restored

April 3, 2026

Impressive images from the launch of the Artemis II mission to the Moon

April 3, 2026

The shocking moment a 20-year-old fisherman saves a great white shark that had become entangled in his line in California

April 3, 2026

Netanyahu: We will continue attacks on Iran, in full coordination with Trump

April 3, 2026

CNN revelation: Iran’s arsenal remains strong enough to cause chaos in the region

April 3, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα