Two variant of coronavirus has been detected, Omicron and Delta. Researchers have compared the symptoms among 4990 persons infected with these variants respectively. A study reveals how different are the symptoms of Omicron and Delta Variant, and how contagious it is. The rising cases in corona have once again increased the concern in the people. It is necessary to know the difference in the symptoms of the infection and the difference in the variants. A recent study has found a big difference between Omicron and Delta symptoms, through which you can also get an idea of the severity of the disease. This study has been published in the journal ‘The Lancet’ which is based on data from the ZOE Covid Tracking App. According to which an attempt was made to understand the difference between the two main variants Omicron and Delta on the basis of symptoms.
Delta and Omicron difference:
The researchers have compared symptoms between 4,990 people infected with the delta variant and the same number of people infected with the Omicron variant. In the study, some similar symptoms like runny nose and headache were seen in both the variants. However, some different symptoms were also found in both the variants. The sense of smell was lost in 52.7 percent of Delta-infected people in the study, while only 16.7 percent of Omicron patients had these symptoms.
The most common symptom of Omicron in the study was found to be a sore throat, which was higher in the data compared to the delta variant. This is because in most of the cases Omicron remains confined to the upper respiratory tract and rarely affects the rest of the organs. Omicron also had fewer hospitalizations than Delta. As compared to 2.6 percent of Delta patients who were hospitalized, the figure for Omicron patients admitted to the hospital was 1.9 only. The average duration of symptoms for Omicron was also found to be 2 days shorter as compared to that of Delta. The sub-variant BA.2 is believed to be more infectious than Omicron. It is also called Stealth Omicron. The CDC has described it as 60 percent more infectious than Omicron’s original. Despite being more contagious, BA.2 is not considered more serious than the original Omicron. As per the experts, it is stated that the infection caused by Omicron can stay longer in the body.
Dr. David Strain, a senior professor at the University of Exeter Medical School involved in the study, has told The Guardian:’ People infected with BA.2 stay longer hospital, the staff test positive for a longer period of time and hence they take longer to return to their work.’ Researchers say that booster doses offer little protection against infection, although they protect against serious disease. It is because of this that Omicron BA.2 is coming to the fore. FDA panel members warns that work on vaccine updates should begin before new variants arrive.
