Not loss of smell or fever, these 5 Covid symptoms are on a rise now. Check Omicron reinfection signs
Premium- Runny nose, Headache, Sneezing, Sore throat and Persistent cough are now the most common symptoms for COVID
With a large section of people being vaccinated, it seems like the wrath of COVID-19 has reduced significantly. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief warned that the pandemic is "nowhere near over" and with so many variants moving freely together, there are high chances that cases will surge again. Under such circumstances, many people are worried about the fact that if someone already has had COVID, or has been vaccinated, then what symptoms they can suffer from in case they are infected with new variants.
Now, new studies reveal that previous ‘traditional’ symptoms (that are still validated as common symptoms by some governments) such as anosmia (loss of smell), shortness of breath and fever rank way down the list, at 6, 29 and 8 respectively. And, there are 5 new symptoms that patients are complaining of.
What are the most common symptoms of COVID reinfections?
Runny nose, Headache, Sneezing, Sore throat and Persistent cough are now the most common symptoms in case people get COVID. A study by the UK-based ZOE COVID tracker said, “we noticed that people who had been vaccinated and then tested positive for COVID-19 were more likely to report sneezing as a symptom compared with those without a jab."
If you’ve been vaccinated and start sneezing a lot without an explanation, you should get a COVID test, especially if you are living or working around people who are at greater risk from the disease, it adds.
Should we worry about new Omicron variants?
Currently, several Omicron variants are moving freely and in the news are three strains namely BA.4, BA.5 and BA.2.75
The BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants are on a global rise because they can spread faster than other circulating variants such as BA.2. This variant is good at immune escape and is leading to an increase in reinfections in spite of vaccination and natural immunity from previous infections.
Meanwhile, World Health Organisation (WHO) is currently tracking whether BA.2.75 subvariant has properties of being more clinically severe or immunity-invasive. As of now, the experts believe that BA.2.75 lineage has not been documented to have enhanced severity or disease spread.
Pandemic is far from over: WHO chief
Recently, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus voiced, "New waves of the virus demonstrate again that Covid-19 is nowhere near over." He went on to add, "As the virus pushes at us, we must push back."
WHO chief also said, "I am concerned that cases of COVID-19 continue to rise - putting further pressure on stretched health systems and health workers - and deaths are unacceptably high."
Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less