The highly mutated Omicron variant of Covid has been causing mayhem ever since its onset in November of 2021. First detected in South Africa this variant has been spreading like wildfire and has become the dominant strain overpowering Delta in many countries including Europe and India.
Even though India has previously battled and survived the implications of a deadly variant namely the Delta, experts are now concerned about the new Covid variant that is said to be more transmissible than Delta and may have the ability to bypass the immunity offered by vaccines. Notably, both Delta and Omicron have been declared ‘variants of concern’ by the World Health Organization (WHO). Experts earlier said that Covid caused by the Omicron variant may not be as severe as the one caused by the Delta variant, which led to the second wave in several nations but the evidence is still inconclusive as research continues into the effect Omicron variant can have on those infected.
While both the variants are said to exhibit flu-like symptoms, here is a list differentiating the symptoms of Delta from Omicro
1. The symptoms of Delta are reported to last for a period of 10 days while that of Omicron is said to last for 4-5 days.
2. A patient suffering from Delta is reported to be down with a high fever of 101-103F while those suffering from Omicron experience a moderate fever of 99.5 to 100F.
3. Patients infected with Delta often undergo loss of smell or anosmia and loss of taste or ageusia. Such occurrences have not been reported in Omicron patients though they are reported to undergo an extreme feeling of extreme fatigue, nausea, and dizziness.
4. A major difference between the two viruses has been found in the way they affect the lungs. While the Delta infection is reported to infect the lungs within a few days of its entry into the body causing difficulty in breathing, low oxygen saturation level, and hyperimmune response in the second week of infection in some, in Omicron, no damage to the lungs or cases of pneumonia have been reported so far.
5. Delta occurred at the time of the second wave and caused severe health hazards including death to those unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. Breakthrough of infection was reported among the healthcare workers. While in the case of the Omicron, it is causing infection or reinfection among fully vaccinated people as well with its breakthrough rates being extremely high.
Even though the Omicron variant is smashing daily case records, hospitalizations and deaths are fewer compared to the peaks driven by Delta last year. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday warned against categorizing the Omicron variant as mild and said that the new coronavirus variant is killing people across the planet.
“While Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorized as mild,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
He further added that Omicron is out-competing the Delta variant causing the bulk of the new Covid infections and leading to a surge in hospitalizations. “Just like previous variants, Omicron is hospitalizing people and it is killing people,” Tedros added.
The WHO chief said that the Omicron has led to a ‘huge and quick’ tsunami of cases and is stressing healthcare systems across the globe. More than 9.5 million new Covid-19 cases were reported to the WHO last week, according to AFP. This set a new grim milestone in the planet’s fight against Covid-19 as cases rose by 71% compared to the week before.
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