As COVID-19 cases continue spreading, with the new Omicron variant now affecting many, one may be on high alert for the slightest sniffle or cough.
As a Thu Sun report specifies, co-workers, relatives, and friends are usually complaining of having a cough, a runny nose that won't disappear, or simply "feeling under the weather."
This new variant continues spreading, although researchers have offered hope that the variant is not as dangerous as those coming before it.
Many immensely positive studies found that Omicron is milder than other COVID-19 variants. The first official United Kingdom report revealed that the risk of hospital confinement is 50 to 70 percent lower than the Delta variant.
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When to Take Runny Nose Seriously
COVID-19 booster vaccines against Omicron variant, as reported in the New York Post, can provide the best chance to combat the pandemic, health officials have said repeatedly.
Regardless of the symptoms, it may be ideal to undergo a COVID-19 test to check, and Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, has urged the British people to take a lateral flow test before meeting friends or loved ones for a holiday.
If the result turns positive, there are strict self-isolation guidelines to follow. However, if the result is negative, experts said if one is unwell, it is ideal to stay away from others to preempt the spread of the virus.
One who feels adamant he has a cold should consider his condition as a COVVID-19, too, and vice versa. It's given that it is becoming difficult to keep up with experts' advice and consider that runny nose seriously.
How Can You Tell If It is Omicron?
The doctor who initiated sounding the alarm about the Omicron variant said it is causing different symptoms. For this reason, she, at first, pushed for testing, wondering why young male individuals who came to the clinic did not have the usual COVID-19 symptoms.
Private practitioner Dr. Angelique Coetzee, who's also the South African Medical Association chair, suggested that the main symptom of the Omicron strain include body aches, headache, and fatigue.
Coetzee, who's also on the Ministerial Advisory Committee on vaccines, said in a Reuters report that, different from Delta, so far, patients have not complained of experiencing loss of test or smell.
She added, all these patients she had checked herself, thus far, had the only mild illness. Many people who logged their symptoms said they experienced sneezing as one of the key indicators of Omicron, KIRO 7 reported.
Meanwhile, Dr. Amir Khan had said before that "night sweats were another key sign of the said new variant." He added these were the drenching night sweats where one might need to get up and change clothes, which is an important sign to watch out for.
When is it Flu?
The recent data showed that people who have the flu do not experience loss of taste or smell as much as those who have COVID-19.
According to the World Health Organization, seasonal flu is characterized by an abrupt onset of high-temperature fever, usually dry cough, headaches, joint and muscle pain, sore throat, runny nose, and severe unwell feeling.
Consultant epidemiologist, Dr. Conall Watson from the UK Health Security Agency, said now is the perfect time to get injected with the flu vaccine for those who haven't been inoculated.
Typically flu increases at this time of the year, explained Watson. Therefore, if one is eligible for an NHS flu vaccine and has not had it yet, the epidemiologist advised booking as soon as possible.
Related information about the Omicron symptoms is shown on CBS 8 San Diego's YouTube video below:
Check out more news and information on COVID-19 in Science Times.
