Coronavirus symptoms: Two most common symptoms of the new Stealth Omicron variant and other signs

Viruses keep mutating over time, owing to various environmental factors and geographical area. This process of mutation leads to several changes in the nature and structure of the virus. The same is with variants of the coronavirus. A detailed evaluation of the previous mutant variants of coronavirus reveals that each new strain is different from the other and leads to different sets of symptoms after entering the human body. Even the new sub-variant of the Omicron is diverse from the parent variant. Dubbed as "stealth", the sub-variant of Omicron is concerning as they are hard to detect. Knowing the signs of the stealth variant can help to detect the condition faster and take the right steps to avoid complications.

Based on the months-long findings, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently suggested that Omicron mainly affects the upper respiratory tract instead of the lungs, unlike some prior versions of the virus. The same is with the Stealth Omicron variant, but still, a lot more research is needed as the variant is quite new and not much is known about it. As far as the symptoms go, the only confirmation that has come to the fore is that the subvariant leads to two typical symptoms in the early stage- dizziness and fatigue. There are many reasons one may feel dizzy and tired in a day, but if the condition bothers you for a more days then you should immediately contact your doctor. These symptoms can appear within two-three days after getting infected with the virus and may linger in the body for longer.

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Apart from two telltale signs, the new sub-variant may also lead to other symptoms like:

Fever

Extreme fatigue

Coughing

Sore throat

Sore head

Muscular fatigue

Elevated heart rate

As the new variant is not related to the lungs, earlier tell-tale COVID symptoms like loss of smell or taste and shortness of breath can be ruled out. As per the UK based Zoe COVID study app, cold is the most reported symptom of BA.2 variant of Omicron, especially in people who've been vaccinated.

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Even though BA.2 is labelled a subvariant of Omicron, its genetic make-up is quite different from the latter. As per researchers, the stealth variant has about 20 mutations that differ from the original Omicron. This makes it quite different from the Omicron variant in a number of ways and is also a reason for concern. As the Stealth Omicron variant is diverse from the Omicron variant to such a great extent, it is difficult to trace its nature and its aggressiveness. Predicting anything at this stage would be incorrect and may mislead others.

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As far as the contagiousness of the subvariant is concerned it can spread as easily as its parent variant. Due to its highly contagious nature, it has already spread to several countries and is believed to spike positive cases in the coming days. The only way to protect ourselves is by getting vaccinated and following all the COVID norms with due diligence.