Covid scientists have warned that those with Omicron may present different symptoms to patients sick with previous variants of the virus.
Early data has suggested that the new strain may lead to only "mild illness" in most patients, but scientists have stated that more information is needed before this can be confirmed.
Omicron may cause muscle aches and fatigue, amongst other new symptoms, according to the Daily Record.
READ MORE - The five Covid rules in Scotland as public urged to 'redouble efforts' amid Omicron
There has been concern that the recently identified variant could spread quicker than previous Covid-19 strains, as well as evade vaccines.
According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) official, most patients with the new version of the virus have not been getting seriously sick - but more data is needed to confirm its severity.
WHO adviser Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said: “In terms of the severity profile, we have seen reports of cases with Omicron that go from mild disease all the way to severe disease.
“There is some indication that some of the patients are presenting with mild disease, but again it is early days. We do have a surveillance bias right now in terms of the cases that are being detected.
“There is also a suggestion of increased hospitalisations across South Africa, but that could be the sheer fact that we have more cases.
“If you have more cases you will have more hospitalisations.”
Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association, said the main symptoms of Omicron to look out for are:
- Fatigue
- Body aches
- Headache
She described one “very interesting case” of a six-year-old girl who had “a temperature and a very high pulse rate”.
Meanwhile, a health director in Botswana said 16 out of 19 people infected had no symptoms, while the other three had “very, very mild” illness.
It comes as the tenth omicron case in Scotland was confirmed yesterday, with no direct link to the previous nine.
