Omicron symptoms not significant; travel restrictions going 'bit too far': Experts

The omicron variant of the coronavirus in now present in 24 countries. The United States has reported its first confirmed case. The patient returned from South Africa is experiencing "mild symptoms."

Daily infections in South Africa have quadrupled in the last 3 days from just over 2,000 cases to more than 8,500 cases. Hospitalisations are also on the rise and authorities in South Africa say 74 percent of all the samples that have been genetically sequenced are of the omicron variant.

To discuss this and more CNBC-TV18’s Shereen Bhan spoke to SA Doctor - Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, Epidemiologist, and Dr Angelique Coetzee, Head of South African Medical Assoc.

Dr Angelique Coetzee who first detected omicron said still the picture is the same, mild disease, so far the cases are going up, and the infection rate is 16 percent and the death toll is not significant.