Omikron poses a riddle: Symptoms differ significantly from Delta and Co. - this is exactly where the danger lies

Created: 12/23/2021, 02:01 PM

From: Marcus Giebel

Common cold symptoms: nasal congestion may indicate an omicron infection.

© Christina Sabrowsky / dpa

With Omikron, the pandemic could develop in a new direction.

Because the corona mutation not only defends itself more successfully against vaccines, it also results in other symptoms.

Munich - The whole world has been looking at this competition for almost two years: Science against coronavirus.

The experts are ceaselessly developing new active ingredients against the life-threatening pathogen that can trigger Covid-19 and has already killed millions of people.

The virus defends itself in its own way: by mutating and thus constantly presenting us with new challenges.

In Germany the present is still Delta, but in the near future, as in many other European countries, Omikron will take over command here.

So the variant of Sars-CoV-2, which poses particular puzzles for the researchers.

Because it doesn't really seem to fit into the chronology of this pandemic.

Omikron is clearly more contagious - but often a milder course

Because, according to previous knowledge, Omikron differs significantly in some points from the previously prevalent variants.

So far it has been said that the mutant first discovered in South Africa was significantly more contagious, and that the number of cases would no longer double after weeks, but after a few days.

So far so bad.

However, it seems as if the course of an infection and a possible illness are mostly milder - which cannot be the all-clear given the nationwide decline in the number of intensive care beds since the beginning of the pandemic and the still insufficient vaccination rate.

A glimmer of hope in gloomy times, however.

Video: Omicron vaccines may be available soon

Omicron Symptoms: Many intersections with the classic cold

Researchers in the United States, South Africa, and the United Kingdom have also conducted studies to identify the most common symptoms of Omicron infection.

Eight in the number are listed: In addition to headaches, sneezing, sore throat and runny nose or a stuffy nose, this would also include pain in the lower back, fatigue, night sweats and body aches.

The infected people mainly suffered from "extreme fatigue", said the chairwoman of the South African medical association of the AFP news agency.

According to a British "Zoe Covid Study", the classic signs of a cold in particular were often noticed.

This in turn naturally gives rise to fear, especially in the actual flu wedding, that some cases will not even be perceived as corona infections.

Typical symptoms of Delta and other mutations are less common

The previously known symptoms such as cough, fever, difficulty breathing or the loss of the sense of taste and smell, which were considered symptomatic from Sars-CoV-2 to Delta, seem to be caused by Omikron significantly less often.

In addition, a few days ago the London family doctor David Lloyd found that 15 percent of the children affected by the new variant had also suffered from unusual rashes, as he

revealed

to

.

In any case, Omikron attacked the youngest particularly frequently, but this could also be due to the lack of immune protection in their bodies.

So it still takes some educational work to unravel Omikron's secrets.

A promising start has been made.

It remains to be seen whether the findings so far will make the work of doctors and other experts significantly easier.