The US CDC has now identified which symptoms are most commonly reported following Omicron infection.
OMICRON could make the pandemic even worse, as the worrying strain moves quickly.
However, the virulence data is encouraging, with mostly mild symptoms recorded so far.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now published a list of the most commonly reported symptoms following an infection.
The fast spread of Omicron has been attributed in part to the virus’s remarkable capacity for reinfection. Despite this, its mutations result in milder disease, and there have been no reports of deaths linked to the strain to date. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released research indicating certain symptoms are more common than others.
Following the WHO’s classification of the Omicron variant as a “variant of concern” in November, researchers have been working to better understand it.
The B.1.1.529 strain includes various mutations that have the ability to spread quickly and confer resistance to current immune defenses.
More than 30 variations in the strain’s spike protein have been linked to the strain’s capacity to infect people who are immune.
However, few hospitalizations have been documented as a result of the mutation, and the symptoms are thought to be less severe than those caused by Delta.
The CDC published an early symptom profile for the Omicron variant in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, based on data available at the time.
Cough is the most prevalent symptom, according to the paper, hitting 89% of people infected with Omicron.
According to Reuters, anecdotal evidence from South African experts characterize the cough as dry and typically accompanied by a “scratchy throat.”
“Many of the first reported cases of Omicron variant infection appear to be mild, although as with all variants, a lag exists between infection and more severe outcomes,” said the authors of the CDC report.
“Symptoms would be expected to be milder in vaccinated persons and those with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection than in unvaccinated persons.
“Characteristics of the cases described in this report might also not be generalisable because case findings might be associated with individual characteristics.”
The report’s details are based on 43 cases of illnesses linked to Omicron strains.
Only 7% of the participants had ‘asymptomatic’ infection or ‘unknown’ symptoms, with 93% of cases being classified as symptomatic.
“Even if most infections are mild, a highly transmissible variant could result in enough cases to overwhelm health systems,” they wrote in their report.
Cough (89%), fatigue (65%), and congestion or runny nose (59%) are the three most frequent symptoms, according to the report.
Shortness of breath (16%), diarrhoea (11%), and loss of taste or smell (8%), all were near the bottom of the CDC’s list.
There is no evidence that the Omicron variant can escape vaccination protection at this time, but experts have expressed worries about the variant’s heavy mutations, suggesting that the vaccine may need to be reformulated.
Other earlier changes, on the other hand, have shared some of the strain’s antibody-evading changes, albeit not in the same combination or quantity.
Early research on the strain sparked fears that vaccines would be ineffective against Omicron.
Researchers have recently warned that two doses of the vaccine are insufficient to protect against the variation.
A third booster, on the other hand, may prevent Covid symptoms in about 75% of persons.
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