The early days of the coronavirus pandemic saw a fairly common list of symptoms: cough, fever, shortness of breath, loss of
taste, and smell.
The early days of the coronavirus pandemic saw a fairly common list of symptoms: cough, fever, shortness of breath, loss of taste, and smell.
The emergence of the omicron variant – now blamed for the massive surge of COVID-19 cases across the world – has introduced a new set of symptoms, including some that could easily be dismissed as signs of a common cold.
Researchers with the ZOE Covid Study have found only early symptom has been consistently reported by COVID patients – headaches. According to the study, headaches are the second-most common omicron symptom, beat out only by a runny nose.
Omicron patients report fewer instances of cough, fever, and loss of taste or smell.
Along with headaches and runny noses, sore throats continue to be reported by omicron patients. This is especially true in “breakthrough” cases among fully vaccinated people, health experts said.
“Especially in people who we’re seeing these more mild breakthrough infections, we are seeing sore throat be a predictor in that group,” Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady told NBC News Chicago.
Arwady said anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms should assume they have COVID-19 until testing proves otherwise.
“Even if it’s a sore throat, no matter what it is,” she said. “If you are sick, even a little bit sick, stay home. More true than ever right now because sick, even a little bit sick, until proven otherwise with a test — that’s COVID. That’s how we treat it, that’s how you should treat it.”
COVID-19 symptoms can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after someone is exposed to the virus and there is some evidence omicron symptoms appear on the early side of the scale.
Most common omicron symptoms now; 1 unique symptom reported
The signs of traditional COVID – cough, fever, loss of taste or smell – are well known. The fast-spreading omicron variant, however, is presenting with different and, in many cases, milder cold-like symptoms.
The main symptoms of the omicron variant are:
Cough
Fatigue or tiredness
Congestion or runny nose
Sore throat, particularly a “scratchy” throat
Headache
Muscle aches
Sore throat has been identified as a distinguishing symptom, according to experts. The symptom includes a dry-sore throat that caused sharp pain when a patient swallows and appears before most other COVID symptoms.
“It’s a very prominent symptom,” Dr. Jorge Moreno, an assistant professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine, told Business Insider. “It’s not like a little tickle in the throat. If they’re reporting it, they’re saying that their throat feels raw.”
And while loss of taste and smell aren’t widely seen among omicron patients, a unique symptom is appearing – night sweats.
“People aren’t reporting a loss of taste or smell as much with omicron as they were with previous variants,” Dr. John Torres, NBC News senior medical correspondent told the Today Show. “But people are reporting night sweats, which is a very strange symptom that they say they’re having.”
While the symptoms are similar, a patient’s experiences can vary depending on if they are vaccinated.
“In those that are fully vaccinated and boosted, symptoms tend to be mild. In contrast, if an individual is unvaccinated, symptoms can be quite severe, resulting in hospitalization or even death,” Lorena Garcia, epidemiologist, and professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences told UC Davis Health.
Warning signs to seek additional medical care are the same for all versions of COVID, according to World Health Organization.
“Some symptoms may be signals that more urgent medical care is needed. Depending on the age of the person in your care, their symptoms may look different,” WHO said. “Adults may look dehydrated, have shortness of breath or chest pains. They may also complain of light-headedness. Children may suddenly appear confused or refuse to eat. Their face or lips may turn blue. Babies may be unable to breastfeed. These symptoms are warning signs that urgent care is needed.”
Contagious?
Early research indicates people with omicron could become contagious quicker than with other versions - possibly within a day after infection, the AP reported.
New Centers for Disease Control guidelines are based on evidence that suggests the transmission of COVID-19 often occurs one to two days before the onset of symptoms and during the two to three days afterward. People with a positive test but no symptoms are considered contagious at least two days before receiving their test results.
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