However, amid reports of Omicron having common cold-like symptoms, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday that it is not a common cold and should not be taken lightly.
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According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Analysis, the four most common symptoms of the Omicron variant are cough, fatigue, congestion and runny nose. A recent study by the UK-based Zo Covid app added nausea and loss of appetite to this category.
Several studies from South Africa, the US and the UK have shown that infections caused by the highly transmissible form are usually mild, requiring little hospitalization.
“Omicron is not the common cold,” WHO epidemiologist Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said in a tweet.
“While some reports suggest Omicron has a lower risk of hospitalization than Delta, there are still many people infected, sick in the hospital, and dying from Omicron (and Delta),” he said.
The UK has reportedly seen around 14 deaths due to the Omicron variant, while the US and South Korea have reported one each. The deaths occurred mainly in unrelated individuals.
WHO Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan reiterated on Twitter, “Omicron is not the common cold! Health systems can collapse.”
“It is important to have systems in place to test, advise and monitor large numbers of patients because the increase can be sudden and massive,” he warned.
Kerkhov said that by ensuring vaccine equity “we can prevent infection, save lives now”.
Meanwhile, the WHO also said on Tuesday that emerging evidence suggests that Omicron is affecting the upper respiratory tract, causing milder symptoms than previous variants.
“We are seeing more and more studies suggesting that Omicron is infecting the upper body. Unlike others, it can cause severe pneumonia,” WHO Incident Manager Abdi Mahmoud told Geneva-based journalists. Is.”
Also, the global health body warned that rising infections caused by omicrons around the world could lead to the emergence of new forms, media reports said. The more the variant spreads, the more it can replicate and bring about a new variant that can be more deadly.
France has discovered a new variant named IHU. The new variant, with 46 mutations, has already infected 12 people, both vaccinated and unvaccinated. Although it may pose a higher risk than Omicron, which has been described as highly transmissible but milder in infection and less lethal than the delta version, the researchers said, “(only) this IHU variant based on 12 cases.” It is too early to speculate on virological, epidemiological or clinical features”.
(With inputs from IANS)
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