9 Potential Omicron Variant COVID-19 Symptoms to Watch For
- Health experts have detected a trend that a particular COVID-19 symptom is being more commonly reported in limited Omicron research thus far.
- 9 kinds of COVID-19 symptoms are still very much possible for anyone infected by the Omicron variant, but fatigue seems to be the most common so far.
- Early reports indicate that Omicron variant symptoms may be milder in nature compared to other variations of SARS-CoV-2, but experts say more research is needed.
- Fatigue may be mistaken for other illnesses, including the common cold — and since Omicron can only be confirmed with COVID-19 testing, experts stress it’s more crucial than ever to get tested if you feel sick.
The recently discovered Omicron variant is fueling a new surge of COVID-19 cases across the nation — healthcare providers in more than 19 American states (and 50 countries in total) are currently reporting official infections traced back to this new version of the novel coronavirus, according to public statements made by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials.
And because it hasn’t even been a full month since officers at the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the variant a concern, scientists still have a lot to learn about Omicron. Earlier reports, however limited, indicate that Omicron variant infections may differ just slightly from cases experts have seen stem from the spread of Delta and other earlier variants that were of concern in 2021.
The genetic makeup of Omicron is vastly different compared to other COVID-19 strains that experts have seen, explains Gwen Murphy, M.D., Ph.D., an epidemiology expert and director currently at testing company Let’sGetChecked. The earliest tests on Omicron have indicated that it may not cause as severe of symptoms experienced due to Delta infections — in South Africa, where the first instance of Omicron infections were reported, the nation’s Medical Research Council shared testimony that the majority of patients impacted by Omicron infections didn’t require ventilators or emergency oxygen to breathe while in treatment.
While health officials in America may believe it’s too soon to tell if most Omicron infections are indeed mild, there is more weight to earlier reports that Omicron infections tend to trigger symptoms of fatigue and body aches over others like breathlessness or loss of taste and smell. This is proving to be especially true for those vaccinated individuals who experience breakthrough COVID-19 illness.
Below, experts explain everything they’ve learned about Omicron symptoms and infections so far — and what Americans should know if they expect they’re experiencing an Omicron-related sickness.
As more information about the coronavirus pandemic develops, some of the information in this story may have changed since it was last updated. For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, please visit online resources provided by the CDC, WHO, and your local public health department.
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