New Delhi: The initial report of treatment of patients infected by the Delta variant and Omicron of SARS-COV-2 shows that the symptoms caused by both are very different.
For example, a doctor who cared for patients affected by a new variant in Delhi said Omicron did not cause loss of taste or smell, which was one of the symptoms defined by the Delta variant.
“We have treated 24 omicron-positive patients so far, but only two are symptoms.
Someone has low-level fever, sore throat, headache and body pain, while others suffer from sore throat and loose movement.
Their conditions increase with symptomatic treatment And none of them needed steroids, antivirus drugs or oxygen therapy which is a mainstay of treatment for the Delta variant, “said Dr.
Suresh Kumar, Medical Director of Lok Nayak Hospital.
Data released last week with the study of Covid symptoms carried out by health science companies called Zoe and King’s College, London, where Omicron has caused a sudden surge in the Covid-19 case, also shows that the top five symptoms were reported with omicron infection is a cold.
, headaches, fatigue (either light and severe), sneeze and sore throat.
“Omicron seems mild, but this is the early days.
Most patients are healthy and relatively young people back from other countries.
Real test of the new variant virulence is when it starts to spread.
We need to see how it affects parents and those who affect their parents and Having compromised immunity, for example people who suffer from cancer or chronic kidney disease, “Dr.
Kumar said.
However, one thing is clear about Omicron – much more contagious than the previous SARS-COV-2 variant, including Delta.
Asking the reason behind the increased transmission and symptoms that appear to be lighter, immunological Dr.
NK Mehra refers to a study conducted in Hong Kong where scientists infected human lung tissue with various SARS-COV-2 variants to assess the effect.
“This study found that the omicron variant was replicated around 70 times higher in the bronchial rather than the original SARS-COV-2 variant and delta,” said the honorary scientist Emeritus from the Indian Medical Research Council.
Dr.
Mehra added that the experiment also showed that the omicron variant was replicated with much less efficiency in the lungs.
Imunologists are getting stated, “The new variant makes the virus stay longer in the throat, which makes it more transmitting.
However, because of its capacity to replicate in less lungs, it does not cause severe symptoms, especially difficulty breathing.” However, he warned that the transmission was.
Higher can put pressure on immunity that leads to severe disease in a fraction of the case and increase the burden on the health care system.
“It is important to identify and isolate positive cases to prevent clusters,” Dr.
Mehra said.