Johannesburg - Chairperson of the South African Medical Association (SAMA) said most patients infected with Omicron Covid-19 variant got mild symptoms, while the unvaccinated patients showed relatively severe symptoms.
Dr Angelique Coetzee, who has treated 70 patients diagnosed with the new variant, said she has seen most patients with mild symptoms such as headaches, body aches and sore throats over the past two weeks.
She said these symptoms are different from the Delta variant, even though this may change as cases rise.
The 29-year-old “Patient Zero” who came into Coetzee’s private practice in Pretoria, presented with mild symptoms of tiredness, muscle aches and overall not feeling well.
“At first, I thought it was a resurgence of the Beta variant because of the different types of symptoms,” she said.
"Omicron is different. There's no loss of smell and taste and there is no need for oxygen at this stage and we don't know what might happen as cases continue increasing," she told Xinhua on Tuesday. "This variant is more in the muscle."
Coetzee said the symptoms of the new variant were worse in patients who had not been vaccinated.
"There was severe fatigue and other symptoms that were quite intense in unvaccinated people."
Health Minister Joe Phaahla recently said the rising cases were being driven by the new variant.
According to Professor Tim Spector from King's College London, anyone with symptoms, such as a runny nose or a sore throat, must self-isolate and avoid all parties until they receive a negative test result, the Daily Mail reported.
This comes after a new study found that one-third of people who are fully vaccinated adults but catch cold-like symptoms may actually be infected with Covid-19.