The Omicron variant is likely to spread further and pose a "very high" global risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
A doctor in South Africa, who was one of the first to suspect the different type of coronavirus, has said that the symptoms of the Omicron variant are mild and can be treated at home.
Dr. Angelique Coetzee, a private physician and president of the South African Medical Association, told Reuters that on November 18, she noticed seven patients in her clinic who had symptoms different from the dominant Delta variant, albeit "very mild".
She treated about 30 patients and said the most common feature seemed to be fatigue.
How do Omicron symptoms change? Fatigue was one of the main symptoms her patients were reporting, said Dr. Coetzee. Other symptoms were mild headaches, body aches and sore throats, she told Agence France-Presse.
She also stated that unlike the Delta variant, patients have so far reported no loss of taste or smell. There was also no significant drop in oxygen levels.
