After the emergence of the new variant of the coronavirus, the Omicron, several questions were raised by scientists, such as, for example, how deadly it would be or whether it would show symptoms different from the previous strains.
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Researchers have already found that Ômicron spreads faster than other Covid-19 mutations. According to American infectious disease physician Roby Bhattacharyya of Massachusetts General Hospital, the new variant can be considered the fastest spreading virus in history. One example is that it is already dominant in several countries around the world and the number of cases of the disease is increasing.
Ômicron was first detected in South Africa and accounts for over 90% of new coronavirus infections. In London, UK, half of all new cases reported are already caused by omicron.
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Symptoms
Canadian immunologist and geneticist John Bell, professor of medicine at the University of Oxford, UK, gave an interview to the BBC and claimed that Omicron had symptoms “different” from previous strains of the disease. .
Sore throat, muscle pain, especially in the lower back, stuffy nose, stomach problems and loose stools are possible signs of the new variant.
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“One of the things we do know is that the omicron is quite different,” he said, adding that myalgia (muscle pain) is a “hallmark” of the omicron and that public health experts weren’t sure why.
According to Bell, data from South Africa and the Zoe app (which helps pull together research on the spread and symptoms of Covid-19 in the UK) have shown other unusual symptoms of omicron to include “some intestinal discomfort, loose stools”.
“This is one of the more interesting features. It seems (the micron) behaves differently,” he told BBC 4’s Today program.
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South African doctors also noted sore throat rather than sore throat, dry cough, extreme fatigue, and night sweats.
Loss of taste or smell, reported in many patients who have contracted previous variants of the coronavirus, does not appear to be among the symptoms of this variant first reported in South Africa.
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Gravity
However, on the severity of the disease, Bell said “at the moment we don’t really have the data” and added that the coming weeks will indicate the severity of the variant in the UK.
A survey of nearly 78,000 cases of omicron in South Africa, released last Tuesday (12/14), found the variant resulted in milder disease compared to previous waves, with 29% fewer hospitalizations for the omicron than the Wuhan strain and 23% compared to the delta.
But it’s important to stress that the results are preliminary and the situation could change. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain all precautions against the disease, such as the use of a mask, disinfection of the hands with hydroalcoholic gel and avoidance of agglomerations.
The information comes from the BBC.
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