PEOPLE with the new stealthy Omicron subvariant show two new Covid symptoms that experts warn shouldn’t be ignored.
BA.2, which is super-fast spreading, has become dominant in England, overtaking the original BA.1 Omicron strain.
As Covid testing is scaled back, it’s key that you know the early warning signs of Omicron.
Health officials say there are two symptoms of BA.2 that are not always seen in patients infected with other variants.
Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD), in Washington, announced last week that people should look for dizziness and fatigue when trying to decipher if they have caught BA.2.
The symptoms were common in BA.2 cases, based on collected data, Medical Daily reported.
SRHD health officer Francisco Velazquez said it is crucial to monitor symptoms, especially the two newly reported ones.
But since they are not specific and could come from other conditions and diseases, he encouraged everyone to get vaccinated and boosted to lower the risk of infection.
People still associate Covid disease with a persistent cough, loss of smell and/or taste, and a high temperature.
While these still occur, the symptoms of the virus have largely changed due to new variants, and the effect of vaccination.
Fatigue and dizziness also occur with other strains, such as Delta and the original virus from Wuhan.
But reports suggest it is more common in BA.1 than ever before – and may be the first warning sign after infection.
BA.2 is spreading faster than any other strain before it, early data suggest.
Crucially, there is no signal that Omicron variants cause more severe disease. Multiple studies have shown BA.1 is more mild than Delta, and it’s thought this is the case for BA.2 as well.
But Professor Adrian Esterman, an epidemiologist and former World Health Organisation expert, has warned cases are going to “skyrocket”.
He wrote on Twitter: “Omicron BA.2 is about 1.4 times more infectious than BA.1.
“The basic reproduction number (R0) for BA.1 is about 8.2, making R0 for BA.2 about 12.
“This makes it pretty close to measles, the most contagious disease we know about.”
Spending just 15 minutes with someone who has the measles is enough to spread it.
People who have previously had Covid are still at risk of getting the new variant, called a reinfection.
