Symptoms of the new Omicron Covid variant have been described described as being "very different" to those of the Delta strain.
Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association, who was one of the first people to suspect the Omicron Covid strain, has said she noticed patients at her private clinic showing a number of "mild" symptoms.
The new strain has been named a "variant of concern" by the WHO as many countries including the UK have tightened travel rules and reintroduced some coronavirus restrictions.
READ MORE: Covid rules from Tuesday including face masks, travel, quarantine and vaccines
Dr Coetzee told the AFP that she alerted health officials of a "clinical picture that doesn't fit Delta" on November 18, when seven patients showed different symptoms that seemed "very much related to normal viral infection", the Mirror reports.
The Omicron strain, or B.1.1.529, is a super mutant variant which has 50 genetic mutations, over 30 of them being spike protein mutations.
What are the symptoms of Omicron?
Dr Coetzee told the BBC that the symptoms of Omicron are "mild". She said her patients presented with extreme tiredness, mild muscle aches, scratchy throat and dry cough.
Unlike the previous variants, she said, this one doesn't cause loss of taste or smell.
Her patients included young people from a range of different backgrounds all with intense fatigue and a six-year-old with a high pulse rate.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that initially reported infections were among university students exhibiting mild illness, adding that the severity of the variant won’t be clear until days or even weeks from now.
What to do if you have symptoms of Covid-19
Anyone with any symptoms of Covid need to stay at home and self-isolate immediately.
Arrange a PCR test as soon as possible, whether or not you've received one or two doses of the vaccine.
The UK government has also reintroduced masks on public transport and in retail settings, as well as requiring people flying in to take a day two PCR test and self-isolate until they get a negative result.
New rules come in after six new cases of the highly mutated strain were discovered in Scotland, in addition to three already detected in England.
Anyone who has come into contact with a person who has contracted the Omicron variant must self isolate for 10 days, regardless of their vaccination status.
The government has confirmed it will review the new measures in three weeks' time.
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