Little-known signs of Omicron can be mistaken for food poisoning
Covid-19 patients often have respiratory problems, but some people experience abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea.
Most of the infected peopleOmicronare experiencing symptoms similar to the common cold. But scientists warn there's a little-known sign of this variant that can make you feel like you have food poisoning.
Experts in the medical field say that Omicron infection leads to respiratory problems. According to statistics in the UK, the three most common symptoms are cough, fatigue, and headache.
Meanwhile, American doctor Bill Admire informed that most people with the Delta variant will experience some respiratory problems - mainly upper respiratory tract.
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| Some patients infected with Omicron have intestinal disturbances. Illustration photo: UPMC |
But with Omicron, patients with digestive problems are increasing and presenting with more symptoms. Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and diarrhea can all be signs of Covid-19, the doctor explained.
Although nausea or vomiting are likely not the primary signs of Omicron, they may appear along with other symptoms.
In the journal Microbiology, Immunology and Infection, experts said that nausea and vomiting are two of the common symptoms alongside other important signs of Covid-19 such as sore throat and loss of taste/smell.
This condition may be caused by the body's inflammatory response to a viral infection.
As more variants emerge, more symptoms are at risk of emerging – such as muscle aches, bowel problems and dizziness.
“There has been a significant increase in Omicron cases with sore throat and hoarseness compared to other variants. People often have an itchy and very sore throat,” said Professor Tim Spector, chief scientist of the Covid-19 Symptom Research App.
First recorded in South Africa, Omicron has quickly become dominant in many countries. Scientists have now recorded four clades of this variant.
Recently, Omicron's BA.2 version has started to attract attention when it became popular in Denmark and the US (nearly 50% of new infections). While the original BA.1 version can be detected directly by PCR testing, BA.2 requires gene sequencing. In addition, BA.2 is 1.5 times more infectious than BA.1.