What You Should Know about Omicron and Corona?
Omicron Variant Severity | Omicron Variant Symptoms | How do we Test for Omicron?
Omicron variant of coronavirus is highly transmissible. The infectivity rate and contagiousness of the omicron variant are very high. This is a serious concern, the Omicron is spreading faster than the Delta variant. So the question arises, is omicron variant more severe than Delta?
Omicron is now the dominant variant of coronavirus all over the world. The omicron variant is now a new threat to us. The spread of the omicron variant is unexpected, this happened suddenly and rapidly taking hold.
Why Omicron is spreading Faster than Delta variant?
The new variant of coronavirus has an extreme level of contagiousness. The incubation period of the Omicron variant is much shorter than other variants of the corona. This is the reason behind the contagiousness of Omicron. A gap of time between a person getting exposed to the virus and then showing the first symptom is called the incubation period. Shorter the incubation period of disease faster the infectivity.
The incubation period of the Omicron variant is 3 to 5 days which was 5-7 days in the Delta variant.
Once the patient is infected, and the incubation period is shorter then the symptoms appear faster. There is less time to confirm or pinpoint an infection before it becomes infectious. It means if you are tested negative for Omicron on Monday, it doesn’t necessarily mean a negative test for Corona on Wednesday.
Omicron Variant Symptoms
Symptoms of the Omicron variant are very similar to the delta variant or other variants of coronavirus. The symptoms of the Omicron variant affect the human body the same as other variants. But there is a difference in the presentation of the symptoms. The major difference between the earlier variants and the Omicron variant’s symptoms is the loss of smell and taste. Loss of taste & smell is a less common symptom in Omicron than the earlier variants of covid 19 including Delta.
Common symptoms of the Omicron variant are:
- Dry hackings Cough
- Sore Throat
- Fatigue
- Congestion in nose and throat
- Running Nose
- Fever
- Headache
- Loss of taste and smell
Most of the symptoms are much similar to Common Cold symptoms. These symptoms last for 5 to 7 days and the patient recovers from the disease in a week’s time. If there are other co-morbidities and risk factors involved then the disease can be prolonged. The question, is Omicron variant more severe than Delta further goes deeper?
Omicron Variant Severity
The presentation of the Omicron variant symptoms is very much similar to the delta variant. The severity of the common symptoms varies in adult and pediatric populations. Symptoms are less severe in the adult population than the other corona variants. However, the overall threat of the Omicron variant can be more severe in view of the high infectivity and contagious nature of the new variant.
Studies suggest that the Omicron variant replicates less efficiently in human lungs, which can be a reason for less severe disease. The after-effect and the complications of the Omicron variant are also less severe. The incidences of severe respiratory distress and respiratory failure are also lesser in Omicron compared with other Covid 19 variants.
The answer: Is Omicron Variant more Severe than Delta Variant?
The hospitalization rate of Omicron variant patients is low compared with the Delta variant. Moreover, the admissions rate to ICU beds, duration of hospital stay, and the need for Oxygen therapy are much lesser than the other coronavirus variants.
The worry is the high infectivity rate of the disease which can lead to a more infected population at a time in a very short span of time. This can be a sudden and inevitable burden to health infrastructure and resources available despite the low rate of hospitalization or admission rate to ICU beds.
The bad news is that the Delta virus reduced the protection against a few Covid 19 vaccines. Omicron has reduced the effectiveness of vaccines further because these are the mutated variants. This is the reason we found positive cases in the vaccinated population too.
The positive aspect of the Omicron variant is that the less severity and high infectivity rate of the omicron variant will help in developing the herd immunity faster.
The presentation of the disease is the same for both variants but we cannot say that the Omicron Variant is more Severe than the Delta variant. The Omicron variant is less severe than Delta.
How do we Test for the Omicron variant?
A covid 19 test will tell you whether you are Corona positive or not but it won’t tell you about the variant. So how do you test the Omicron or How do we know to confirm the Omicron variant?
To determine or confirm whether it’s Omicron or some other coronavirus variant, the Labs use Genomic Sequencing. So to confirm the variant of Covid 19, the first test we need to do RTPCR test for Covid 19. If RTPCR is positive then a genomic sequencing test is done to confirm the type of variant whether Omicron or any other variant.
How to Protect Yourself from Omicron?
Covid Vaccination
Get yourself vaccinated without further delay. It’s proven that vaccination has lowered the severity of the disease significantly.
Wear masks
Protect yourself from exposure to the virus. Mask is the best tool to protect yourself. Wear a mask whenever going out.
Hand Hygiene
Wash your hand regularly with soap, or use sanitizer after and before touching any object. Do not touch your nose mouth eyes or face without washing your hands.
Testing
If you have any symptoms, do not hesitate for testing. Go for testing and if tested positive isolate yourself and protect your family and friends from exposure to the disease.
