Coronavirus: The COVID symptom that is less common in the Omicron wave

The past two years have been extremely challenging for all of us. While we have learnt to co-exist with the deadly virus, there is still an aspect of unpredictability tied to it, which almost always takes us by surprise. A new COVID variant emerges every now and then, making it difficult for scientists and experts to find an ultimate solution.

As of late, COVID's Omicron variant has breached the walls of several countries, confirming that it is highly contagious. However, the heavily mutated variant, which was initially detected in South Africa, is said to be milder and possibly different from the previous strains. Let us find out how.

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The second wave of coronavirus as we all know was a turbulent phase in all our lives. Besides causing distressing mild to moderate infections, the Delta variant, which is said to have driven the wave, led to severe illnesses. While many were hospitalized during this time, many others lost their lives. Some continue to bear the long term effects of the virus.

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However, as compared to the Delta variant, the new coronavirus variant, Omicron, is said to cause little to no direct harm to the lungs. Basically, just like a common cold or a flu, the highly infectious variant seems to infect the upper respiratory tract, causing mild symptoms like sore throat, sneezing, body pain, headache.

The Delta variant on the other hand led to acute respiratory complications in some people and also impacted the lungs directly, causing severe symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain and low blood oxygen levels.

Additionally, as per reports, the Omicron variant is said to be 4 times more transmissible than the Delta, which is why experts believe it could go on to become the most dominant strain.

Also read: New Coronavirus Variant NeoCov

Both Omicron and Delta are two variants of SARs-COV-2 virus, which is why both share some common symptoms like mild fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue and body pain. However, as per the data provided by UK's ZOE symptoms Study App, loss of sense of smell is a less common trait with the Omicron variant.

In an initial report, Dr. Angelique Coetzee, the South African doctor who first found the Omicron variant, had said that patients with Omicron infection have shown no signs of loss of smell and/or taste.

During the Delta wave, loss of smell was one of the tell-tale signs of COVID-19, which helped differentiate between the SARs-COV-2 virus and a mild flu or cold. Additionally, this symptom lingered on for months after recovery.

According to Professor Tim Spector, Head of UK's ZOE Covid study app, symptoms like fever, cough and loss of smell are now in the "minority of symptoms", which means they are the least common when it comes to the Omicron variant.

Also read: Coronavirus Omicron Symptoms

With mild COVID-19 infections on the rise, people have become somewhat indifferent to the risks the virus poses. Given that the new Omicron variant is associated with milder symptoms, many tend to assume that they're at no risk of developing severe infections and so can let their guards down.

But according to experts, making assumptions about the coronavirus or its variants is problematic. This is because there is no telling how the virus will or can affect an individual. Those who fall in the high risk group may be susceptible to a more severe infection. Additionally, even if a person may develop mild symptoms, experts have pointed out the risk of long COVID, which is extremely prevalent with COVID-19 patients.

All in all, while there is no need to panic, it is in everyone's best interest to stay safe and take all precautionary measures.