Omicron side effects: How can you tell if its Omicron or Delta?
Omicron: International travel restrictions criticised by expert
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The new coronavirus variant, Omicron, has seen borders clamped shut, social distancing measures reimposed and sparked international concern over the efficacy of vaccines. But with so much still unknown about this new variant, what are the symptoms people can look out for that might indicate a differing strain to the common Delta variant?
Symptoms of Omicron
It’s important to note very little is known about the effects Omicron has on the body at this stage, and these symptoms might not prove to be the norm.
The WHO says there is currently no information to suggest symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those from other variants.
However, the South African doctor who first spotted the emergence of a new variant has said the patients she’d seen had “extremely mild symptoms” – though they have been different to the usual ones reported.
For example, fatigue and a fast heart rate are being more commonly reported now.
Dr Angelique Coetzee, a private practitioner and chair of the South African Medical Association, said none of her patients had been seriously ill, but they had body aches, a scratchy throat and headaches.
Interestingly, Dr Coetzee said none of the Omicron patients had reported a loss of taste or smell, as is so common with other Covid variants.
She also said there had been no major drop in oxygen levels seen with the new variant.
Dr Coetzee said a patient came into her clinic on November 18 complaining of being “extremely fatigued” for two days with body aches and a headache.
She said: “Symptoms at that stage was very much related to normal viral infection.
“And because we haven’t seen COVID-19 for the past eight to 10 weeks, we decided to test.
That patient and his family then turned out to be positive.
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On the same day, more patients came in with similar symptoms, which was when she realised there was “something else going on”.
Since then, she’s seen two to three patients a day.
She said: “We have seen a lot of Delta patients during the third wave. And this doesn’t fit in the clinical picture.”
She then alerted South Africa’s National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD).
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Dr Coetzee added: “Most of them are seeing very, very mild symptoms and none of them so far have admitted patients to surgeries. We have been able to treat these patients conservatively at home.”
Her experience so far has been that the variant is affecting people who are 40 or younger.
Almost half of the patients with Omicron symptoms that she treated were not vaccinated.
She added more time was needed before we understand the seriousness of the variant for vulnerable people.
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