By Erika Edwards -
NBC News
The breakneck speed in the spread of the omicron variant has left those living in the United States with many questions about what was known so far about COVID-19, especially in the spike that occurs in the midst of holiday travel. of year.
"
It's hitting us at a very inopportune time
," said Dr. Katherine Poehling, an infectious disease and vaccine specialist at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in North Carolina.
Although there is still much that is unknown about omicron, experts are beginning to understand more about the new variant and how it affects people vaccinated, those who are not vaccinated and those who have already been infected with COVID-19.
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For example, people exposed to omicron seem to get sick faster and experience different symptoms than those caused by the other variants.
What are the symptoms of omicron?
Early data suggests that for most people, at least those up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccinations,
omicron causes a mild illness similar to the common cold
, which is another form of the coronavirus.
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Poehling, who is also on the advisory committee on immunization practices, which guides the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decisions regarding vaccines, noted that there are symptoms. that predominate in omicron infections:
Cough.
Fatigue or tiredness
Stuffy and runny nose
Unlike the other variants, he explained,
loss of smell and taste is rare.
But Poehling and other experts say that list of symptoms is not based on scientific studies, but on the first reports of cases by omicron.
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"Anecdotal reports represent a single person," said Dr. Bruce Y. Lee, professor of health policy and management at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Public Health.
"You have to take them with a grain of salt," he added.
Furthermore, they may reflect only certain sectors of the population: young and generally healthy people, and those who are fully vaccinated.
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"It's clear that
if you're vaccinated and you've had the booster dose, there's a tendency for omicron to give you a milder infection
," explained Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
"What we have not seen so far is a complete investigation into what it causes in unvaccinated people," he added.
In fact, the only patient known so far to have died from omicron was not vaccinated.
Authorities in Houston released Monday that an unvaccinated man in his 50s succumbed to the variant of the virus.
Recent data indicates that omicron's goal is to infect as many people as possible as quickly as possible.Ergin Yalcin / Getty Images
There is also new evidence that omicron does not penetrate the lungs as much as previous variants.
One study, published online by the University of Hong Kong and yet to be peer-reviewed, found that although it is less severe in the lungs, it can replicate faster in the upper respiratory tract.
"So far there is no complete investigation on the impact of omicron on the unvaccinated"
William Schaffner Infection Expert
In this way, omicron can act more like bronchitis than pneumonia, said Hugh Cassiere, director of critical care services for Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital at North Shore University Hospital in Long Island, New York.
“In general, patients with acute bronchitis do not suffer from shortness of breath.
They tend to cough and produce sputum, ”he explained.
"Patients with pneumonia experience shortness of breath and more fatigue than with bronchitis," he added.
Still, it is virtually impossible for people to diagnose what you have just from the symptoms you have.
In addition to omicron, the delta variant continues to circulate while there is an increase in flu cases.
That's why doctors
urge people to get tested if they experience any cold symptoms
.
How long is the incubation period for omicron?
According to early data, the time it takes for an infected person to develop symptoms after exposure may be shorter for omicron than for previous variants: from a full week to three days or less.
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Although much more research is needed, it makes sense for a highly contagious virus like the omicron variant to have a shorter incubation period.
Your goal, after all, is to infect as many people as possible as quickly as possible.
It is clear that if he is vaccinated and if he has received the booster dose, omicron tends to cause a milder infection "
William Schaffner, infectious disease expert
"That's why the spread is happening at such a rapid rate," explained Anita Gupta, an anesthesiologist and intensive care physician at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The incubation period may be shorter or longer depending on a number of variables, such as age, existing health problems, and vaccination status.
"There is no hard and fast rule in this case," he added.
When should I get tested for COVID-19?
Because the incubation period may be shorter, Vanderbilt's Schaffner advises that anyone who has been in contact with someone infected be tested about 72 hours after exposure.
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"If you've been exposed and are now asking, 'When should I get tested?'
I think the best thing would be to wait at least three days to see if it tests positive, "he said.
For the millions of people who have not been in contact with COVID-19 but will be reuniting with friends and family over the Christmas holidays, Schaffner suggested it would be wise to get a quick test on the day of the meeting.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the president, Joe Biden, agrees.
"For multiple reasons, you have to go one step further, go the extra mile to get tested" to alleviate any concerns about the celebrations, he said Tuesday on the TODAY program on NBC, Telemundo's sister network.
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"But if you don't have the test available and you are fully vaccinated and on the booster dose, you should feel comfortable having a Christmas meal or a reunion with family members who are also vaccinated and on the booster dose," Fauci explained.
Can omicron cause long-term effects of COVID-19?
Although little is still known about this variant, experts say it could lead to COVID-19 symptoms in the long term, even in a mild case.
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Patients with persistent symptoms can experience crushing fatigue, irregular heart rhythms, and other problems months after their initial infection.
This occurred during the first wave of the pandemic and has continued to cause problems during the delta wave.
"We have to assume that this variant can do the same as the previous ones
until proven otherwise," insisted CUNY's Lee.
However, previous research suggests that vaccination can greatly reduce the risk of long-term COVID-19.
How worried should I be about omicron?
Cases of this variant are doubling every two days.
A week ago the percentage of cases per omicron increased from 13 to 73% in the United States.
"The main question for everyone is not whether or not omicron will hit their community because it will,"
said Michael Saag, an infectious disease expert and associate dean for global health at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
"The question is, how serious is the disease it will cause?"
Healthcare workers prepare for Covid-19 tests at a Nomi Health testing center in Omaha, Nebraska. Dan Brouillette / Bloomberg via Getty Images / Bloomberg via Getty Images
["We have a false idea that the pandemic is over," says a doctor before the advance of omicron]
Experts urge the population to get vaccinated and get the booster dose to reduce the risk of a serious infection.
As of Tuesday, approximately 61% of the population was fully immunized.
Just under 30% have the reinforcement.
"It will hit us hard," Wake Forest Baptist's Poehling lamented, but added that the ease with which omicron spreads could mean the variant will run its course quickly.
“If we look at South Africa they seem to be much better now.
I do not anticipate that this will last long
, "he said.
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