The doctor who discovered the Omicron covid variant explained how long symptoms will last.
Dr Angelique Coetzee, the South African doctor who first raised the alarm about the new variant in November, gave some insight into symptoms she's seen in patients with Omicron.
Fears of a new variant and a coming surge in cases are prompting people to cancel their Christmas plans in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.
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Public health chiefs in Liverpool have warned that a spike in cases could put pressure on health services, even with a potentially less severe illness caused by the new variant.
Speaking at a meeting of Liverpool Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board on Thursday, December 16, the city's director of public health Professor Matt Ashton warned of a coming surge.
He said : "The reality is, we are going to see a sharp spike in covid cases [which is likely to be] at the start of January, which will put a lot of pressure on the whole [healthcare] system."
But he said that vaccines make this year different to last winter, adding that the booster jab is estimated to provide 71-75% protection against symptomatic infection.
New rules came into effect on Wednesday, requiring proof of double-vaccination, or a recent negative test, to enter certain venues like nightclubs, big sports matches and other large gatherings.
As the UK lifted its initial ban on travel from various southern African countries in recent days, a growing list of countries have banned travel from the UK due to a growing number of Omicron cases here.
But Dr Angelique Coetzee, who first raised the alarm about the fast-spreading variant, suggested travel bans may be an overreaction.
Writing in the Daily Mail, she said: "The symptoms presenting in those with Omicron are very, very mild compared with those we see with the far more dangerous Delta variant."
She added: "Patients typically present with muscle pain, body aches, a headache and a bit of fatigue.
"And their symptoms don't seem to get any worse than that. After about five days they clear up, and that's it."
Reports indicate that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 could cause milder illness than previous strains.
But a large number of infections could eventually lead to a wave of hospitalisations and increased pressure on healthcare workers and critical care capacity.
Hundreds of people queued for 'hours' at one of Liverpool's walk-in booster clinics after Boris Johnson's Omicron emergency warning on Sunday on Sunday, December 12.
Liverpool has one of the lowest covid vaccine uptake rates in England, hampering protection against the virus.
