Health chiefs believe the Omicron Covid variant causes "mild illness" for most people but there are early signs it may cause different symptoms than earlier strains.
Scientists are racing to work out if the new variant, first discovered in southern Africa, spreads faster, circumvents vaccines or causes worse side affects.
Experts say people are presenting cold-like symptoms since receiving the vaccine and according to the ZOE Covid symptom study app, people who test positive most commonly report a headache, runny nose, sore throat and sneezing.
Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association, said the main symptoms of Cmicron 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", The Sun reports.
A World Health Organization (WHO) official has told the Reuters news agency that most people are not getting seriously ill, although it could still be the case.
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, a top WHO adviser, 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.”
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 nine more cases of the Omicron variant were discovered in England taking the total across the country to 22.
Cases have now been identified in the East Midlands, East of England, London, South East and North West.
A further case has been identified in Scotland, bringing the total to 10.
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