Omicron cases tend to be mild, and the World Health Organization has not claimed that there has been any evidence of a new Omicron variant having an impact on effectiveness against serious diseases.
Unnamed, the health chief said that early evidence shows most infected people only have mild symptoms.
They said that there was no evidence the existing Covid vaccines against Omicron are less effective, even though the Omicron variant has more than 40 mutations.
But they warned some mutations on the variant — which is scientifically known as B.1.1.529 — suggest it spreads more easily.
South African doctors reported that mild cases were the norm over the week.
And a top official in Botswana — where the strain may have emerged — said 85 per cent of cases didn’t show any symptoms at all.
South Africa has seen an increase in hospitalisations since the outbreak of the virus, yet only 25% are vaccinated.
This compares to the UK’s 70% and European nations where it can reach as high as 81%.
Experts predict it will take two weeks for them to fully grasp the impact this variant might have.
SAGE, the No10 scientific advisory team, advised Britain to prepare for a “potentially very important wave with associated hospitalisations” this winter, if Omicron’s worst predictions prove true.
Angelique Coetzee (chair of South African Medical Association) said Omicron-infected patients had different symptoms than hers. She reported a milder, more milder condition, such as tiredness and muscle aches. None of the symptoms, such as loss of taste or smell, or difficulty breathing were reported by any of these patients.
Moderna and Pfizer, vaccine-makers, are working already on Covid vaccines to combat the Omicron strain. However, they won’t have them ready for use until the middle of 2022.
It comes after Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association and the first person to spot the new variant in a patient, said her patients infected with Omicron reported different and much milder symptoms than those infected with Delta.
The symptoms included fatigue, muscle aches and dry cough. However, no one reported any symptoms such as a loss or difficulty with breathing or smell.
Nitzan Hrotwitz, Israeli minister of health, said yesterday that the variant was possible and existing vaccines would protect against the severe effects of the super-strain. These were based upon ‘initial indicators’.
An Israeli news station reported that the Pfizer jab prevented Omicron-related symptoms for 90 percent of patients. This was only slightly more than Delta.
The Channel 12 news broadcast also claimed the super variant is just 30 per cent more infectious than Delta — much lower than initially feared.
Last night, a spokesperson from the Health Ministry of India stated that it did not have this information.
Comparatively, Delta is 70% more infective than Alpha, which it beat earlier this year.
It will come as a relief for the UK, which launched last night a mammoth booster program for adults using Moderna and Pfizer’s jabs in the hopes of curbing the mutant version.
Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, stated that all 53 million adults will receive a third dose before the end January.
In the UK, there have been approximately 22 Omicron cases. It is possible that this number will rise and the strain could be transmitted within the local community.