How to know if you have Omicron

How can you recognize the first signs of an Omicron infection if there is still a Delta mutation and so many other mutations? Are there really “signs” that you may have contracted the omicron? What you should pay attention to and what to do in order to first of all protect yourself, and then others, after identifying the first signs of the disease.

Before the pandemic, a slight headache and mild sickness was not something that made us stay at home even when we felt tired. Even during the flu outbreak, we were not as careful as we were after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, only a test can show with certainty whether you have the flu or coronavirus, and this is because the common cold has some things in common with Omicron, such as a runny nose, heaviness in the head and dry throat.

Professor Tim Spector, co-founder of UK-based Covid ZOE app, believes diagnostic tests are more important than ever, even for those without symptoms. The specialist emphasized that half of all cases associated with the Delta mutation cannot be detected in time because patients did not have the classic symptoms of the “traditional” coronavirus, such as fever, persistent cough, loss of taste and smell. It appears to be very similar to the common flu, and people find it difficult to separate one from the other.

However, according to Christina Marriott, head of the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH), people who receive two doses of the vaccine have less severe symptoms such as headaches, runny nose, sneezing, dry throat and lack of taste. That is why even the vaccinated must still be careful.

Colds and headaches are also symptoms that can cause many infections, not just coronavirus. That’s why it would be good to get tested at least two days after the first symptoms appear, recommends Irene Petersen, professor of epidemiology and computer health at UCL.

In any case, the first symptoms may be as follows:

Headache

This is an even more common symptom compared to coughing and lack of smell. It is usually moderate or more intense and can last for more than three days. It is also said that most conventional remedies cannot relieve the condition and relieve headaches.

Runny nose

Last winter, a ZOE study found that runny nose is the second most common symptom after headache. 60% of people who were infected with the coronavirus had a lack of smell and a runny nose. Also, the data available to scientists show that with a high viral load, the presence of a cold is quite common. Therefore, a low viral load is less likely to develop severe symptoms.

Sneezing

Sneezing is more common in vaccinated people, according to the same study by researchers who collected data through the ZOE app. However, this is not a symptom by which we can confidently say that Omicron caused it.

Dry throat

Many people report through the ZOE app that their throats feel dry, as if they have a cold or laryngitis. This symptom is usually mild and lasts no more than five days. Others claimed that the throat was very sore.

However, this is also not a symptom that says for sure that you have a coronavirus and an omicron mutation. In most cases, according to the app, people with throat disease did not have coronavirus. And it was common in those between the ages of 18 and 65 compared to the elderly or those under the age of 18.

No smell and taste

This is probably the most obvious sign. A person can both completely lose their sense of smell, and partially (feel strong smells, but weak ones do not). The same can be said for taste problems. That is, when it seems to you that the food you consume has no taste.

Persistent cough

Another characteristic symptom that can be considered one of the classic in coronavirus. In any case, according to a study by the ZOE group, only 4 in 10 have this cough. It is drier than a cough that produces phlegm and indicates a bacterial infection. Usually, a persistent cough turns into illness (other symptoms are more pronounced).

Thus, only a coronavirus test can show whether a person has actually contracted the coronavirus, including the Omicron strain.

In any case, whether we are vaccinated or not, it is better to do a test.

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