Sunday, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published five emergency warning signs for the new strain of COVID-19, other than the most common symptoms previously associated with the virus.

The symptoms include:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Bluish lips or face

The CDC urged anyone who shows any of these symptoms, to seek emergency medical care immediately, adding that this list is not all the possible symptoms which could occur.

The new variant of coronavirus “VUI 202012/01” includes a genetic mutation in the spike protein, which is the protein responsible for illness in humans, that could be the cause of immediate and easy transmissibility amongst individuals. According to the Times of India, the variant which was discovered in the south-east of England, has 17 mutations that affect the shape of the virus, including the spike protein that gives the coronavirus family their name.