Are there any new Covid-19 symptoms associated with the C.1.2 variant?

Recently a new Covid-19 variant was detected in SA: the C.1.2 variant.

Not much is known about the variant at this stage and experts and scientists are studying samples and available data.

In an attempt to understand a little more about what this might mean for the small percentage of the population who are or might become infected with the variant, we asked health experts if there are any new symptoms associated with it.

Here's what they had to say:

DR ANASTACIA TOMSON

Medical doctor, author and activist

So far we don't really know enough about C.1.2 to be certain. It's not classified yet as a variant of interest or concern, and based on available info at this point, there have been no reports of new/unusual symptoms.

It would be worth waiting for more data and scientific study before trying to say for certain, but it doesn't look to be different in symptomatology, as far as we know.

PROFESSORS HANNELIE MEYER AND ROSE BURNETT

Meyer is the head of the SA Vaccination and Immunisation Centre (Savic) at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University. Burnett is a scientific adviser at Savic

At the moment very little is known about the C.1.2 Covid-19 variant and currently a very small proportion (about 2%) of South Africans are infected with it.

It is assumed that the symptoms will be very similar to infection with the other Covid-19 variants, including cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, loss of smell and taste, runny nose and diarrhoea.

PROF VERONICA UECKERMANN

Head of the infectious diseases department at the University of Pretoria

The C.1.2 variant has recently been flagged as a potential concern. This was done based on surveillance genetic sequencing by scientists. 

It is postulated that the variant will be more transmissible but the clinical manifestations of the variant have not yet been studied. The lab still needs to meet the bedside on this account.