Coronavirus: GP says 'Omicron is beating the booster'
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It’s no secret that Omicron has become the dominant strain across many countries as well as the UK. With its new sub-variant called BA.2 getting more spotlight, there’s still much we’re learning about the virus. However, one thing that Omicron informed was that symptoms exist out of the traditional box.
After seeing record peaks caused by the new variant, the UK is seeing a drop in daily cases with around 34,000 infections a day.
If there’s one thing that experts learned about Omicron, it’s the high transmissibility rate the virus packs.
Being able to spot the symptoms and self-isolate promptly could help stop the spread.
However, Omicron symptoms don’t only include cough, fever and loss or change to taste and smell.
In fact, data from the ZOE COVID Study app found that only half of the patients experience these traditional three.
The app is used to observe symptoms of Covid by receiving self-reports from its users who tested positive.
Now, they report that signs including loss of appetite and skipping meals “can all be symptoms of COVID-19”.
What’s more, they’ve noticed a “sharp increase” in the reports of these gastrointestinal symptoms.
Other signs classed as gastrointestinal problems are: diarrhoea, stomach, pains and nausea (feeling sick).
Some symptoms like diarrhoea were linked to the infection at the very beginning of the pandemic.
The COVID ZOE Study app reports that symptoms like these “were a common hallmark” at that time.
However, they add that while these symptoms can signal Omicron, the reports aren’t higher than what they observed with the Delta variant.
The research also stresses that it’s “likely” there are one or more tummy bugs going around.
One of the most common ones is the so-called winter vomiting bug norovirus.
The ZOE COVID Study app shares that good food hygiene practices, such as hand-washing and cooking meals properly could help protect against certain tummy problems.
And also switching up your diet to ensure a healthy microbiome could be helpful.
As the stomach isn’t the only place where Omicron strikes, here are all the symptoms linked to the new variant:
- Scratchy throat
- Mild muscle aches
- Extreme tiredness
- Dry cough
- Night sweats
- Runny nose
- Headaches.
This list was comprised of information from experts treating or researching the Omicron variant as well as patients’ reports.
If you experience any symptoms of Covid, you have to self-isolate and take a test.
However, this guidance might change by the end of next week, depending on the Prime Minister’s announcement tomorrow.
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