Omicron Symptoms May Be More Like Common Cold – Here’s What to Watch Out For

The pandemic refusing to die down reminds me of that scene from Masaan; now a popular meme template where Vicky Kaushal tearfully says ‘saala ye dukh kahe khatam nahi hota hai be’. Every time we think we've turned a corner, the virus raises its ugly head in a new mutated form. Omicron now rules the headlines for being more contagious and less easy to spot. Here’s what we need to know about the third wave:

There are a lot of what they call ‘breakthrough’ infections with the Omicron variant. This means that people are being infected in spite of so many people being vaccinated. When vaccinated people get infected, the symptoms are typically milder and less easy to spot. Experts are saying that symptoms are more like the common cold than what we have come to expect from COVID, such as loss of taste and smell, high fever over and expended period and so on. We have to watch out for these common symptoms of omicron:

• Cough is the most common symptom experienced when people who are fully vaccinated, become infected
• Fatigue or feelings of lethargy is another common symptom
• Runny nose or blocked nose is also a common symptom, which is easy to confuse with a cold or a common flu.
• Headaches are also a commonly noted symptom. Studies conducted in the UK found that cold-like symptoms, headache are likely to indicate an omicron infection
• We often dismiss a sore throat as just a seasonal thing, but it could well be because of omicron
• Fever, particularly fever with chills and a high temperature is also a common symptom
• Muscle aches and pains are also commonly seen in infections of the new variant

Not only are daily cases going up, the positivity rate is also going up, which is worrying. The R naught value increasing is a cause for concern. Where earlier it was people with a history of travel who were testing positive, we are now seeing people testing positive even when they haven’t been travelling. 37% of cases in Mumbai are omicron, with no history of travel. In other words we are seeing community transmission of this variant as well.  It is now being seen that the Omicron variant is replacing the Delta variant in India.

While the ‘immune escape potential is high’ (as in even people with immunity are getting infected) there is good news as well. The severity of illness with this variant is milder.  There is also some evidence to show that mRNA vaccines and booster shots do offer some protection against infection.

The thing to remember is that we cannot grow lax, because the pandemic is still very much on. We have to get over the pandemic fatigue and soldier on with the masking, vaccines, testing, ventilation etc. Opting for vaccinations and then boosters as and when people become eligible is still our best shot now as the second year of the COVID pandemic winds to a close.