The most common symptoms of Omicron BA.5. Take the test right away

The Omikron BA.5 is the newest sub-variant of the coronavirus. It’s slowly starting to dominate the world. Its symptoms are deceptively similar to a cold, so it is easy to ignore them. However, patients also develop symptoms that you can certainly not confuse with any other disease. See what to look for.

1. The Omikron BA.5 is slowly becoming the dominant sub-variant of the coronavirus in the world
2. Its symptoms can be mistaken for a cold. These are, among others, runny nose, cough and headaches
3. However, there are also symptoms of this disease that should worry us. Some of them are very similar to the symptoms of meningitis
4. Doctors calm down. While BA.5 is more contagious, it does not cause any higher mortality among patients or make the disease more severe
5. You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page

Symptoms of the Omicron BA.5

While experts have concluded that this coronavirus sub-variant may be immune to the COVID-19 vaccine, its symptoms are very similar to previous Omicron mutations. “It is very difficult to tell one variant from another by symptoms,” said Dr. Irfan Hafiz, chief physician at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital. The expert also added that there is a pool of symptoms that occur during infection with almost any of the existing variants of the coronavirus.

It is mainly a runny nose, cough, headaches and muscle aches. “People infected with BA.5 may experience these common symptoms of COVID-19 but are less likely to report fever or loss of taste and smell,” said Dr. Andy Pekosz, virologist and professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Like its predecessors, the Omikron, BA.5 appears to primarily affect the upper respiratory tract. At least that’s what researchers at the University of Colorado say. «Symptoms such as sore throat and nasal congestion indicate that the virus has penetrated the nose and respiratory tract. In contrast, BA.5 is less likely to attack the lungs»- we read in the press release prepared by Thomas Campbell and Steven Johnson, experts in infectious diseases.

Recently, there have also been reports that people diagnosed with BA.5 developed symptoms that were confusingly similar to meningitis, encephalitis, and spinal cord membrane inflammation. These include neck stiffness or pain, numbness, tingling and sensitivity to light, for example.

Interestingly, already in 2020 there were patients who reported such symptoms during coronavirus infection. One of them did not experience any other discomfort, including shortness of breath or loss of smell or taste. “At the moment, however, there is no concrete evidence that Omikron BA.5 causes symptoms similar to meningitis,” says Pekosz.

We recently wrote about more symptoms of the BA.5 mutation that should worry us. Luke O’Neill, professor of biochemistry at Trinity College in Ireland, warned that people infected with it may have difficulty sleeping due to night sweats. They are so intense that the bedding and clothes of the sick person are completely soaked.

What to do if you suspect you have coronavirus infection?

Dr. Hafiz advises anyone who suspects they have COVID-19, who is under 45 and is fully vaccinated, to stay at home and just take care of themselves. It is also worth doing a quick antigen test or PCR to confirm your assumptions.

The situation is slightly different for people at risk. If you have cancer, heart, kidney or lung disease, see your doctor. The same is true for those whose symptoms of the coronavirus start to worsen and experience confusion and shortness of breath.

Scientists also reassure that while the new Omicron mutation is more contagious, it does not make the disease worse. Nor does it make patient mortality increase.