Early data from the U.K. found fever and cough aren't as prevalent with omicron, finding the five most common symptoms to be runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing and sore throat. The information in this story is accurate as of press time. The evidence so far, according to Poehling, is anecdotal and not based on scientific research. Because the BA.5 subvariant is so much more transmissible, people should probably "re-engage in some of the prevention strategies that we recommended earlier," Gulick said. Dr. Roy Gulick, the chief of infectious diseases at Weill Cornell Medicine and and NewYork-Presbyterian, said typical symptoms of the omicron subvariants include: Full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. CDC Study Says Omicron Variant's Incubation Period Is About 3 DaysHere's What That Means, What Are the Symptoms of BA.2? "In general, the fact that Omicron is occurring in a highly-immune population should diminish the symptoms because the virus is able to clear faster," said Dr. Adalja. Mild omicron cases look like a bad cold, Dr. Arias said, noting that headache seems to be prominent, along with some sort of malaise and cough. Given the potential for a shorter incubation period, Schaffner of Vanderbilt advised that anyone who has been in contact with an infected person get tested about 72 hours after the exposure. Those looking to get tested after exposure should do so five days after the exposure or if they begin experiencing, the CDC recommends. CDC Stops Reporting COVID-19 Cases on Cruise ShipsHere's How You Can Still Stay Safe. A study, which was posted online by the University of Hong Kong and has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that while the omicron variant is less severe in the lungs, it can replicate faster higher up in the respiratory tract. Wang Ying / Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images file, different versions of the omicron variant, FDA recommends next Covid booster to target omicron variant, gettested at least 5 days after exposure, Doctor answers your top Covid-19 and omicron variant questions, the omicron variant is less likely to cause long Covid symptoms. Those who develop symptoms after testing positive must start their calculations over, however, with day 0 then becoming the first day of symptoms. The DPH guidance, the governor said, makes clear that in most cases rapid antigen tests should suffice for schools, employers and child care centers who require people to get tested in order to return after exposure or infection, and that PCR tests should not be required. "This is a huge difference among vaccinated versus unvaccinated [people] in terms of severity of disease for an infected person," said MacDonald. The types of symptoms also varied. It is clear that if youre vaccinated, particularly if youve had a booster, omicron tends to produce milder infections, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, said this year. It's important to know and recognize all of the symptoms of Omicron. Some people may never experience symptoms, though they can still spread the virus. Sore throat may be a predictor of omicron among mild breakthrough cases, NBC Chicagoreported Jan. 11. But unlike delta, many patients are not losing their taste or smell. The COVID-19 symptoms caused by the Omicron variant tend to last about two days shorter than symptoms from the Delta variant, according to a new study published in The Lancet. Previous research suggests that vaccination can greatly reduce the risk for long Covid. "If you got infected with any of the versions of Omicron there is probably good cross-protection of BA.1 and BA.2and maybe less so with BA.4 and BA.5but for the immediate period of a couple of months to several months after infection, it's unlikely that you'll get [re]infected," said Dr. Adalja said. Asymptomatic infections are also common. As far as how long these Omicron symptoms last, research shows that people have acute symptoms for about six to seven daysabout two days shorter than Delta's eight to nine days of acute illness. Because BA.5 is so contagious and it appears to dodge the bodys immune system, people are more vulnerable to reinfection with Covid, especially if it has been more than 90 days since the previous illness. What To Expect if You Contract the Virus, Lingering Cough After COVID? That occurred during the first wave of the pandemic, and it continued to lead to long Covid issues through the delta wave. "For severe cases, recovery can take six weeks or more, and there may be lasting damage to the heart, kidneys, lungs and brain," Dr. Maragakis said. There has been evidence that the omicron variant tends not to burrow deeply into the lungs as much as previous variants. The research team analyzed data from June through November 2021, when the Delta variant accounted for more than 70% of cases, and from December through mid-January, when Omicron accounted for more than 70% of cases. Copyright 2022 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Symptoms of omicron and the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants are similar, doctors say. Though the incubation times could be changing, experts still advise those who test early to continue testing even if they get negative results. Researchers from Kings College London analyzed data from the ZOE COVID app, which collects data on self-reported symptoms. Omicron is a highly transmissible variant, so being a bit more cautious when it comes to socializing is a good idea. Those who have been within six feet of someone with COVID for a cumulative total of at least 15 minutes over a 24-hour period should quarantine for five days if unvaccinated, or if they are more than six months out from their second vaccine dose, according to updated CDC guidance issued Monday. SymptomsMany patients with omicron have a variety of symptoms that resolve quickly and don't require hospital care, NPR reported. Overall, the symptoms for COVID reported by the CDC include: The CDC also has what it calls a "coronavirus self checker" that allows people to answer a series of questions to determine if they should seek medical care. According to earlier CDC guidance, COVID symptoms can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after someone is exposed to the virus. Among those with two vaccine doses, symptoms from Delta lasted for 9.6 days and symptoms from Omicron lasted for 8.3 days, making a difference of 1.3 days. Linking and Reprinting Policy. It's important to remember that Omicron and its subvariants are still relatively new iterations of COVID-19which means that there's not a lot of data on how much immunity is conferred after infection. There is no data yet to suggest that BA.5 or other known omicron subvariants are "more aggressive viruses than the other ones," Gulick said. Overall, experts believe that immunity through vaccination is more robust than immunity through previous infection aloneand that the most robust protection is through vaccination and boosters, which means it's important "to not rely on natural immunity to be highly protective for Omicron," said MacDonald. "If you've been exposed and now you're asking yourself, 'When should I get tested?' "As far as we can tell, the BA.5 has not really proven too much different from the previous omicron waves," said Dr. Bernard Camins, the medical director for infection prevention for the Mount Sinai Health System in New York. "After five days of either being detected on a rapid test or after symptom onset, your chance, your risk of infecting others is dramatically decreasing after five days," said MacDonald. If you had symptoms, the CDC says you can be around others after you isolate five days and stop exhibiting symptoms. The patients about 5,000 in each group were matched and compared with a person of the same age, sex and vaccination dose in the other group. Symptoms like sore throat, runny nose, headache, and fatigue could be COVID. Shortness of breath is not as prominent as it previously was for mild cases, according to Dr. Arias. First things first, those who believe they have been in contact with someone who has COVID and are unvaccinated should quarantine. With the original version of the omicron variant, which swept across the U.S. at a dizzying speed last winter, the loss of taste and smell was not as common as with the earlier alpha and delta variants. Dr. Arias has seen severe presentation of the disease particularly in high-risk patients, such as immunocompromised individuals, the elderly or someone with one or more comorbidities. Sore throat continues to be a symptom reported, particularly in mild breakthrough infections, health officials say. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it's possible that some data have changed since publication. A small study from the CDC found that people who had Covid and are later reinfectedwith the omicron variant may experience fewer symptoms than they did during their initial bouts with the virus. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She noted also that these symptoms may only reflect certain populations. People who are positive for COVID should stay home for five days, the CDC said Monday, changing guidance from the previously recommended 10 days. Follow our guide for a CO A strong immune system will not necessarily prevent you from contracting COVID-19, but it can ensure your body Get occasional updates on our latest developments and scientific discoveries. Severe casesSeverity varies by individual, depending on many factors, including vaccination status, age, overall health and socioeconomic factors. The Becker's Hospital Review website uses cookies to display relevant ads and to enhance your browsing experience. "Patients with pneumonia tend to be short of breath and feel more fatigued than bronchitis in general.". Those who test positive using an at-home test are asked to follow the latest CDC guidelines and communicate the results to their healthcare provider, who is responsible for reporting test results to the state health department. Individuals infected with the variant have reported a wide range of symptoms, from nothing to seemingly every common cold symptom in the book. Two subvariants of OmicronBA.2 and BA.2.12.1are currently dominating COVID-19 case counts in the U.S. While the omicron variant may have appeared milder during the winter Covid wave, that could have been a reflection of the groups who were getting sick: the young and otherwise healthy, as well as those who were fully vaccinated. All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2022 Becker's Healthcare. And now, BA.2.12.1the new dominant Omicron subvariant in the U.S.is thought to be about 25% more transmissible than that. You can also notify the operator that you believe you or someone you are caring for has COVID. But Massachusetts updated its testing guidance Tuesday. Health's content is for informational and educational purposes only. After the five-day mark, people may start easing up on isolating. Copyright 2022 Becker's Healthcare. For most people, at least those who are up to date on their Covid vaccinations, the original type of the omicron variant caused a milder illness that resembled the common cold, another form of the coronavirus. And while some reports say gastrointestinal symptoms are also more common with Omicron than previous variants, evidence suggests GI issues were just as prevalent with Alpha and Delta. "This is a pretty different surge," Brendan Carr, MD, chair of emergency medicine for New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System, told NPR. It's during that time when people typically have the highest viral load and are most contagious. Those with any flu- or cold-like symptoms should assume they have COVID until proven otherwise. How soon symptoms occur is directly tied to when your immune system recognizes and responds to the virus, said Dr. Adalja. IE 11 is not supported. Research published in The Lancet also found that sore throat and hoarse voice were consistently more prevalent with Omicron infections than with Delta. "We just know that it's more contagious.". A study involving nearly 70,000 COVID-19 patients at Kaiser Permanente of Southern California found patients with omicron infections were less likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19, and when they were, they had shorter hospital stays. Fire Erupts in Boston Skyscraper Under Construction for 2nd Time This Summer, Vigil Being Held for Teen Killed, 4 Others Hurt in Stolen SUV Crash in Worcester, Sharks Active Off Cape and Islands Saturday: Beaches Closed, 5 Sharks Detected at 1 Buoy, Motorcyclist Dead in Suspected Malden Street Racing Crash, Police Say, Crash on I-290 in Worcester Leaves Man, Woman From Conn. Dead, Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone. They're all still Covid, and they can still cause severe disease. Prior to Monday, people who were fully vaccinated which the CDC has defined as having two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be exempt from quarantine. The CDC's list of COVID-19 symptoms includes fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. Some people, particularly those who are unvaccinated, are still at risk for severe disease, hospitalization, or even death. For those who test positive for COVID and isolate for the required five-day period without symptoms, there is not currently a requirement to test before you see people again, according to themost recent CDC guidance. But they still have the ability to transmit the virus to others. A shorter incubation period often means someone infected becomes contagious faster. "The Coronavirus Self-Checker is an interactive clinical assessment tool that will assist individuals ages 13 and older, and parents and caregivers of children ages 2 to 12 on deciding when to seek testing or medical care if they suspect they or someone they know has contracted COVID-19 or has come into close contact with someone who has COVID-19," the CDC's website reads. The CDC urges those who have or may have COVID-19 to watch for emergency warning signs and seek medical care immediately if they experience symptoms including: "This list is not all possible symptoms," the CDC states. For our analysis, we took the health reports from contributors reporting positive cases in the ZOE COVID Study app in December 2021 as Omicron became dominant and compared them with data from early October when Delta was the dominant variant. ConclusionSpeaking with Becker's at the end of a long shift, Dr. Arias asked that this piece emphasize the importance of vaccination. The ask feels small when considering the alternative potential hospital stay. People may not test positive during these initial symptoms, simply because there isn't enough virus in the body to show up on a test (though there is enough to make you feel unwell), he said. So how do you calculate your isolation period? Those who are fully vaccinated aren't necessarily getting seriously ill and having fevers for days and difficult breathing, but are instead experiencing a more mild illness, similar to a cold. We promise. Fact checked on June 3, 2022 by Vivianna Shields, a journalist and fact-checker with experience in health and wellness publishing. The same goes for those who are fully vaccinated and not yet eligible for their booster shot. New research published in the journal Nature shows that an Omicron breakthrough infectionwhich happens when a previously vaccinated and/or boosted individual gets Omicronenhances immunity. Also, the fact that Omicron is much more infectious than Delta means it can spread quicker. Anyone exhibiting symptoms should get tested for COVID-19. The advice for those who tested positive and experienced symptoms also does not indicate a testing requirement, but rather, the person must remain "fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication" and other symptoms should have improved before they end their isolation, which must last a minimum of five days. If you're on public transport or mixing with people outside your household, wearing a mask is a small thing you can do to make a difference. "As such, regardless of the test result, wearing awell-fitting maskis still recommended.". This article has not been updated recently. FDA Grants Emergency Use Authorization for Novavax's COVID-19 Vaccine, Omicron Symptoms Can Look Like AllergiesHere's How to Tell the Difference. Interestingly, we've seen loss of smell and taste become much less common. But Omicron infection in unvaccinated people may not provide much protection against non-Omicron variants. Omicron has a much higher rate of asymptomatic spread than other variants, according to early findings published Dec. 27 by preprint server MedRxiv. In detail, our study found that people who ate a high-quality diet, rich in plant-based foods, were 10% less likely to get COVID-19 and 40% less likely to get severe COVID-19 requiring treatment in the hospital. Much of the population has been exposed to COVID-19 at one point or anothervia vaccination or prior infectionwhich means their immune systems are already primed to jump into action more rapidly. Baker Defends Massachusetts' COVID Response During Latest Surge, Is the Omicron Surge Peaking? Those who are both fully vaccinated and boosted do not need to quarantine if they are a close contact of someone with COVID, but should wear a mask for at least 10 days after exposure. If your test result is negative, you can end isolation, but continue to wear awell-fitting maskaround others at home and in public until day 10.". The CDC's most recent guidance came as many experts expected a testing requirement to be added, but it also comes at a time when testing shortages are being reported nationwide. "Omicron has the shortest incubation period that we've seen," infectious disease expert Amesh Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, told Health. Dr. Arias emphasized the clear effect vaccination status has on severity, noting that even patients without a booster fare much better than those without any vaccination. When Should You Test (and Possibly Retest) After Being Exposed to COVID-19? "Rapid tests, in most situations, are a very good alternative to PCR tests," Baker said. "In the older age group, it's still a nasty disease, even if it's less [nasty] than the delta variant," Pamela Davis, MD, PhD, a pulmonologist at Cleveland-based Case Western Reserve University, told NPR. Symptoms lasted about 7.7 days during the Delta-dominant months and 4.4 days during the Omicron-dominant months, meaning a difference of 3.3 days. According to the CDC, "day 0 is your first day of symptoms." Doctors urge people who have any cold symptoms or flulike symptoms to get tested. Although much about the omicron variant remains unknown, some experts say it could lead to long Covid, even with mild cases. The most commonly-reported symptoms with the original Omicron variant were cough, fatigue, congestion, and runny nose. Still, it is virtually impossible for people to rely on symptoms to self-diagnose an illness. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. ", "While a positive antigen test likely means a person has residual transmissible virus and can potentially infect others, a negative antigen test does not necessarily indicate the absence of transmissible virus," the CDC's website reads. The current wave of the omicron variant of the coronavirus making its way across the U.S. dominated by the subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 is sparking new concerns about a seemingly endless cycle of Covid infections. These findings line up with a small batch of data from contributors who reported that their positive PCR results were suspected or confirmed Omicron infections. Findings from our research show exactly what actionable things you can do to strengthen your immune system like eating a healthy, gut-friendly diet that is full of plants and to help protect yourself against coronavirus and other harmful invaders. In that way, it may act more like bronchitis than pneumonia, said Dr. Hugh Cassiere, the director of critical care services for Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital at North Shore University Hospital on Long Island, New York. Though symptoms of Omicron aren't drastically different from those associated with the Delta variant, they are manifesting differently, Pia MacDonald, PhD, MPH, an infectious disease epidemiologist at RTI International, told Health. That incubation period is just about three days, compared to the Delta variant's five-day incubation period, and the original SARS-CoV-2 virus' incubation period of more than 5 days. Previously, the CDC said people who were not fully vaccinated and who came in close contact with an infected person should stay home for at least 10 days. Erika Edwards is a health and medical news writer and reporter for NBC News and "TODAY.". For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Omicrons shorter symptom duration was more prominent among people with three vaccine doses. Many months ago, the ZOE COVID Study helped to identify over 20 mostly mild cold-like symptoms. That said, length of symptoms varies greatly depending on the person, their vaccination status, the severity of disease, and any risk factors. All Rights Reserved. The incubation period is estimated to be about five to six days for the original strain, five days for the alpha variant and four days for delta. Dr. Katherine Poehling, an infectious disease specialist and member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices,told NBC Newslast week that a cough, congestion, runny nose and fatigue appear to be prominent symptoms with the omicron variant. When cases are really high, large numbers of people will have to isolate at home for days, something that is already having a significant impact on the economy and public services in the U.K. and beyond.
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