Doctors are sharing the 5 most important symptoms linked to the omicron variant to look out for and how to deal with them
Appearing on an episode of ITV’s Lorraine, Dr Amir Khan noted that there are five new symptoms linked to the omicron variant of Covid-19 that have been seen by healthcare professionals treating victims of the disease.
Dr Khan explained that—along with the usual symptoms associated with the coronavirus— people should also look out for 5 other symptoms associated with the omicron variant specifically.
According to Dr Khan, these symptoms include a ‘scratchy throat, mild muscle aches, extreme tiredness, a dry cough and night sweats’, although he notes that these night sweats would not be normal night sweats as many people would experience, but very intense night sweats that might wake you up to get changed.
“This is important and it’s important that we keep on top of these symptoms.” Dr Khan said, “If we are going to track Omicron and track it worldwide, we need to be able to test people with these symptoms.”
He goes on to explain that it is important that the NHS recognise the unique symptoms associated with the omicron variant, and not just the generic symptoms associated with Covid-19 more generally, such as a continuous cough or a loss of taste and smell.
Currently, Dr Khan explains, the NHS website does not recognise these new symptoms associated with omicron as official symptoms of Covid-19, and therefore, would not allow someone with these symptoms to book a PCR test, something Dr Khan believes is incredibly important to reduce the spread of the new variant.
Dr Angelique Coetzee, the chairperson of the South African Medical Association (SAMA), and who was one of the first medical experts to identify the new omicron variant, has also recognised these five new symptoms while treating patients of the disease.
According to Dr Coetzee, it is also possible that the omicron variant does not have many of the same symptoms as the Delta variant, as many patients who have suffered the new omicron strain have not experienced any change in their sense of taste or smell.
