After fighting the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 for more than a year now, the world is again under high alert over the newly detected coronavirus variant Omicron. According to the experts, this new variant is believed to be more transmissible than all the previous strains that were circulating so far.
The strain which was first identified in South Africa has now spread to several other countries, bringing new challenges to the healthcare system. When coronavirus was first detected in China’s Wuhan city, experts warned about the common warning symptoms that a patient infected with the virus may develop. But as the virus has evolved, it seems the most common symptoms have changed too.
Beware! New COVID-19 Symptoms Linked To Omicron Variant
The latest reports from the experts have warned that people who were found infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 showed mild symptoms of the infection and most of them recovered without hospitalization.
Speaking to the media, Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association said, all the patients who were infected by this new variant had unfamiliar symptoms.
According to the doctor’s observation, some of the symptoms of this variant include
- Extreme Tiredness,
- Mild muscle aches,
- A scratchy throat, and
- Dry cough
However, the doctors also stated that fever was not the most common symptom for the ones who were infected by the new variant. “Only a few had a slightly high temperature. These very mild symptoms were different to other variants, which gave more severe symptoms,” one of the doctors quoted as saying.
Do Not Ignore The Common Symptoms of COVID-19
New symptoms are here, but one should never ignore the most common symptoms of coronavirus which were linked to the previous strains. Here are some you should know:
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Red eyes
- Skin rashes
- Diarrhoea
- Chronic headache
- Loss of smell and taste
- Confusion of The Brain – Brain fog
Omicron Variant: Can Vaccines Protect You?
The emergence of the newly detected variant of SARS-CoV-2 – Omicron, has brought back the global discussions of vaccine distribution, virus mutation, and immunity against new virus strains.
The omicron variant is so far the most mutated version of the COVID-19 variant. This new strain contains an incredible 50 changes in the spike protein alone. This includes mutations that can increase transmission and evade immunity.
This means, there is a high risk that Omicron may spread rapidly and reduce (but not eliminate) the effectiveness of current vaccines.
Who is at risk of catching the new variant? Addressing the media, The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the preliminary evidence suggests that there may be an increased risk of reinfection with the new variant Omicron for all those individuals who were previously infected with the COVID-19 virus.
Omicron Variant Is Spreading Across Countries: Here’s What You Can Do
Amid concerns over the detection and transmissibility of B.1.1.529, designated by the WHO as a “variant of concern”, the experts from around the world have said that only following the protocols and getting vaccinated can help people to stay safe from the newly detected variant of COVID-19 – Omicron.
What are these safety protocols? Do not lower your guards, keep your hands clean all the time before touching your face, also maintain social distancing while stepping out.
