In November, a new coronavirus variant Omicron, named by the World Health Organization, was first identified in Botswana and South Africa and had been detected in at least 95 nations according to The New York Times. Scientists have deemed this variant to be milder but highly transmissible. VOA’s Simegnish Yekoye spoke to Dr. Angelique Coetzee, the South African physician who is responsible for the discovery of the Omicron variant. Dr. Coetzee says that vaccinated patients with Omicron experience mild symptoms as opposed to those who are unvaccinated, who experience more intense symptoms. She also explains how the Omicron variant is easily distinguishable compared to other COVID-19 variants.