Coronavirus: Experts say latest Omicron BA.5 symptoms seem to have changed

As the new COVID variant Omicron is spreading, doctors and health experts have found that it can cause a whole array of signs and symptoms, many of them different or less common as seen in previous variants. It has also been observed that Omicron symptoms are less severe.

What’s more, the symptoms caused by Omicron subvariant BA.5 are slightly different, compared to even the original, initial Omicron.

This change in symptoms has been seen in each new COVID strain. According to experts, these are the current dominant BA.5 signs:

Sore throat is still the predominant symptom. According to a report, sore throat was listed as a symptom in 53 percent of omicron cases, whereas just 34 percent of people with delta had a sore throat.

Another dominant Omicron symptom is headache. An Omicron headache usually has a moderate to intense pain with a sensation of pressure or stabbing. The location of the pain is on both sides of the head and this ache can usually last for more than three days.

The next two signs that are also quite common include blocked nose and cough without phlegm.

Here are some more signs of Omicron which can be commonly experienced by infected people. These include:

• Runny nose
  
• Cough with phlegm
• Hoarse voice
• Sneezing
• Fatigue
• Muscle pains
• Dizziness
• Fever
• Body aches
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Diarrhoea

The Omicron variant seems to cause less severe symptoms compared to the previous variants. However, there are still exceptions and some people are getting severely infected due to Omicron as well.

One of the reasons why Omicron BA.5 causes slightly milder symptoms could be due to the fact that people can start exhibiting symptoms even after getting infected with a lower amount of virus. Further, vaccinated people infected with the Omicron variant had symptoms for 6.87 days on an average, compared with 8.89 days with the Delta variant, according to data from the ZOE app.

With Omicron, previously common signs like altered smell is one of the least common symptoms now, though it can still happen. This is good news as it could mean that BA.5 might affect the brain less and cause less long-term consequences which are also called long COVID or post-COVID syndrome. Other less common symptoms at present include loss of smell, chest pain, chest tightness and shortness of breath.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, typical early symptoms of COVID-19 at present include fatigue, headache, a sore throat or fever. Some patients also experience a loss of taste or smell as one of the early signs of the infection.

Researchers at the University of Southern California found fever could be the first sign of COVID in some cases. According to their study, the initial symptoms of COVID are usually fever, followed by cough and muscle pain.

COVID cases in India are on a rise. According to the government data updated on August 27, India has reported 9,520 new COVID cases and 41 deaths in the last 24 hours. India has also recorded 12,875 fresh recoveries. A total of 88.47 crore tests have been conducted so far, with 3,81,205 of them being held in the last 24 hours. The death toll in India has risen to 5,27,597.

COVID's incubation period has changed with the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub variants. Studies have shown the incubation period for COVID has dropped to three days with recent variants.

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady explained in a recent Facebook Live that this change is good news.

"That is excellent news from a control perspective and because one of the biggest challenges of COVID is that... when the incubation period is long, you can get infected with COVID, potentially have a long time before you have significant symptoms and it'll be spreading it. So it's good news to see that incubation period getting shorter," she said.

The Omicron variant seems to be more contagious than the previous variants. Here are some ways to protect yourself:

• Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth, especially in public places.
• Avoid poorly ventilated or crowded spaces.
• Open windows to improve ventilation indoors.
• Wash your hands regularly, especially before a meal or after returning home from outside.
• Get fully vaccinated with the required doses you are eligible for.