Omicron, the latest variant to the COVID disease is slowly increasing in case numbers. In India itself, there have been 33 cases of Omicron reported as of yet and even across the world more and more reports are coming of Omicron cases.
Experts have stated that this new variant seems to be more infectious, meaning it might spread more easily compared to previous strains but the severity of Omicron is slightly less as compared to Delta and others.
Omicron just like any version of COVID is infecting any person, even those who have gotten vaccinations. However, doctors and analysts have reportedly said that the ones vaccinated are experiencing mild symptoms as compared to those without one.
In the midst of all this, people are noticing that the Omicron variant seems to have similar symptoms like a common cold or the flu and are confused on when should one go to get tested.
Experts Answer On Difference Between Common Cold And Omicron
Currently, almost all medical people and experts are advising people to get tested immediately if they are experiencing any type of cold of flu symptoms.
Omicron is being said to have symptoms like runny nose, cough, congestion, fatigue, fever, body ache, head ache and such. However, those with the Omicron variant might not lose their sense of smell or taste, which has been pretty common for COVID cases.
Read More: Experts Believe That Worse Pandemics Are Ahead
Dr. Viny Kantroo, Consultant Respiratory, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in a YouTube LIVE said that “At the moment when there is a new variant, we should not be taking it easy and if we have any kind of cold or flu like symptoms and body ache, you should consult your doctor and get tested, especially if you have history of travel. If you went to a marriage or same place where people could be infected, you should be getting yourself tested.
But yes, if you have frequent history of allergies and you are sneezing frequently during mornings and throughout the day, but do not have any kind of fever or body ache, then you can take a day to see if the symptoms settle down.”
Doctors are telling that people should not refuse to get tested thinking it’s just a common cold. However, as stated above if some symptoms like sneezing and runny nose are being experienced by someone with a history of allergies, then only those people can wait a day at most and see if their symptoms subside.
If they don’t then the person should get tested without wasting much time.
Medical experts are also advising people that double vaccinations are a good way to decrease the severity of the disease even if one does somehow get it.
Dr. Viny Kantroo also said that “The best thing to prevent or treat this disease remains vaccination and SMS. If you are vaccinated, any kind of variant that comes into picture is not going to be so ferocious because you still have some kind of immunity which includes T-cell immunity.”
People are also being suggested to keep using the SMS process, which includes social distancing, mask-wearing and sanitisation of hands.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Hindustan Times, Telegraph, Reuters
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This post is tagged under: Omicron Common Cold, covid, covid-19, covid variant, covid variant omicron, omicron covid, new covid variant, common cold, omicron symptoms, common cold symptoms, omicron common cold difference
