This Variant could cause you to
feel different from previous versions of Covid.
You'll almost certainly be dealing with the Omicron variant if you
get knocked down with COVID any time soon. This version of the virus is
estimated to account for more than 99 per cent of new infections in the U.S.,
edging out the formerly dominant Delta variant almost wholly, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Omicron differs from previous
COVID iterations in various ways, including how fast it spreads and the
severity of the infection it produces. But these mutations also appear to be
shifting the type of symptoms people infected with the coronavirus should
expect. Doctors now claim that Omicron is hurting people in two areas that
haven't been reported in previous variants. Read on to find out what new sign
of COVID you should be looking out for.
Muscle aches and pain is frequently reported symptom of Omicron.
Muscle ache or pain, often known as myalgia, was a common
complaint when doctors in South Africa and other countries started reporting on
the various symptoms of patients who had come down with a new variant called
Omicron. Myalgia is one of the most typical symptoms of this Variant, according
to Gavi, a global vaccine alliance organization.
"People will tell us they went to bed last night [and say
that] they felt warm and cold during the night, [and wake up with] body aches
and pain, chest pain, or backache and fatigue—Omicron," that's Angelique
Coetzee, a South African doctor and chair of the South African Medical Association
(SAMA), explained to MSNBC.
If you feel pain in your legs and shoulders, you could be infected.
While a coronavirus infection can harm you anywhere on your body,
there are two critical areas in particular where Omicron can appear. Many
persons who complain about muscle aches with a COVID case, according to the
U.K. Zoe COVID Study App, have pain in their legs and shoulders.
When the coronavirus is the underlying cause, pain in these two
body parts can manifest in various ways, according to the NHS in the United
Kingdom. "Some people experience widespread aching, which might come and
go as they recover. Some patients also experience odd or unusual feelings such
as numbness, pins and needles, and leg weakness, "According to the agency.
The NHS says that problems with your shoulders can include a "combination
of pain, stiffness, numbness, or even weakness."
There could be several reasons this type of pain is more familiar
with this Variant.
Many viral infections can cause myalgia, and COVID is no exception,
according to Harish Chafle, a senior consultant for pulmonology and critical
care at Global Hospital in Parel, Mumbai. But the medical expert said that it's
clear that body pain is occurring more often with the Omicron variant, which
could result from several different factors.
"It is a possibility that due to inflammatory mediators this
variant is causing more myalgia than any other variant post-recovery,"
Chafle said. "Another reason could be that this variant has a larger
effect on the musculoskeletal system than any other variant."
Coetzee also told MSNBC that she believes body pain is more
apparent with Omicron because it is more likely to attack the musculoskeletal
system first, impacting muscles, bones, joints, and ligaments with aches and
pains.
But myalgia isn't one of the top five most common signs of Omicron.
There's no doubt that pain in the legs and shoulders—amid other
potential places—is popping up more often with Omicron than prior variants of
the virus. However, body pain is not one of the top five signs of infection
caused by this Variant. The most common symptoms of the Omicron variant,
according to the Zoe COVID Study App, are runny nose, headache, fatigue,
sneezing, and sore throat.
There are also no signs of COVID typical signs, such as shortness of breath or loss of taste and smell. In a statement, Tim Spector, founder of the Zoe COVID Study App, said, "A lot of the Omicron symptoms, the majority of them are looking like the common cold or some other viral illness, without any of the classic symptoms."