All you need to know about the symptoms of Omicron

South African data shows that Omicron patients develop an itchy or sore throat along with nasal congestion, dry cough and especially low back pain. Symptoms more like a common cold, UK study says.

The positive case of Omicron will feel much more like a common cold, starting with a sore throat, runny nose and headache, according to a UK study.

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As India's Omicron case count reached 415 on December 25, medical specialists are desperately trying to shed some light on the symptoms of this rapidly transmissible variant and how they differ from earlier variants like delta.

Preliminary data from South Africa suggests that people infected with the Omicron variant often develop an itchy or sore throat along with nasal congestion, a dry cough, and muscle pain, especially low back pain. While data from the UK's Zoe C-19 study app, a non-profit initiative, began to support vital C-19 research alongside scientific analysis from King's College London, it said some of the symptoms The most common ones reported by users of this Zoe C-19 app are runny nose, headaches, fatigue, sore throat, sneezing, and more. These symptom data have been collected from confirmed cases of Omicron patients.

Clearly, the positive case of Omicron will look much more like a common cold, starting with a sore throat, runny nose, and headache, according to a Zoe C-19 study, according to news reports.

But these symptoms, which seem similar to those of the common cold, are not on the list compiled by the UK government. They cite high fever, new and ongoing cough, and loss of change or smell as the main symptoms of Omircron. However, analysis of the Zoe app and Sage's scientific advisory committee suggested that preliminary evidence points to the fact that loss of smell or taste seems to be reported less frequently.

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Another news report also echoed the same point. Research has shown that 48 percent of patients with the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 reported loss of smell and 41 percent reported loss of taste. But a study of a small outbreak of Omicron among vaccinated people in the Netherlands found that only 23 percent of patients reported loss of taste and only 12 percent reported loss of smell. Therefore, the loss of smell or taste, which is key in the previous variants, does not seem to play a prominent role here. However, the study said it was not clear whether the differences were due to Omicron or the person's vaccination status.

How do the symptoms of Omicron vary from other variants?

The key difference between Omicron and other variants is the absence of loss of taste and smell in this new variant, which is causing worldwide concern once again. Infection specialists believe that there is probably a significant amount of "overlap" between Omicron and previous variants, because they are essentially doing the same thing.

However, scientists have focused on one important difference. Omicron appears to have a shorter incubation time, for example after a person is exposed it takes as little as three days for them to develop symptoms, become contagious and test positive. Compare this to delta and the original coronavirus: Symptoms start to appear in patients after four to six days. This is likely because the variant's mutations help it attach to and enter cells, the reports said.

Is Omicron softer than others?

Last week, South Africa released some data showing the risk of hospitalization for adults diagnosed with Omicron was 29 percent lower than in the first wave of the pandemic. In addition, hospitalized South African C-19 patients are less likely to be admitted to intensive care units.

Meanwhile, Britain's public health agency also released preliminary data suggesting that people with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus are 50 to 70 percent less likely to need hospitalization than people with the Delta strain. He cautioned that the analysis is "preliminary and highly uncertain" due to the small number of Omicron patients in hospitals and the fact that most were in a younger age group.

Omicron and other symptom variants vary depending on a person's vaccination status

If a person is vaccinated and has Delta or the original coronavirus, their symptoms will include headache, congestion, sinus pressure, and sinus pain.

Unvaccinated patients will have shortness of breath and a cough, along with flu-like symptoms.

Patients vaccinated with Omicron suffer from headaches, body aches and fever, "like a very bad cold."

While unvaccinated Omicron people have the same shortness of breath, cough, and similar symptoms as unvaccinated people with Delta and the original coronavirus.

According to recent ZOE data based on a London study, the top five symptoms of Delta if you have had two vaccinations are:

  • Headache
  • Runny nose
  • sneezing
  • Throat pain
  • loss of smell

The top 5 symptoms of Omicron were:

  • Runny nose
  • Headache
  • Fatigue (mild or severe)
  • sneezing
  • Throat pain

Loss of appetite and mental confusion were also identified as common.