As Omicron is driving the worldwide surge of Covid infections, some experts have linked specific kind of skin rashes to probable symptoms of Covid-19.
The American Centre for Disease Control and Prevention recently said that we should watch for pale, grey or blue-coloured skin, lips or nail beds, as it can suggest low levels of oxygen in the blood.
With the Omicron increasingly becoming the dominant variant in the country, the traditional Covid symptoms like loss of smell and taste and breathing troubles are rarely seen in Covid patients.
Omicron is causing symptoms that are much more like a regular cold, particularly in people who’ve been vaccinated, and fewer general systemic symptoms, such as nausea, muscle pains, diarrhoea and skin rashes.
However, the absence of respiratory issues has made Omicron look less severe. Experts, meanwhile, warn against taking Omicron lightly and doctors treating Omicron said that many patients may report high fever in the first few days.
SYMPTOMS DURING FIRST WAVE
When the Covid started in 2020, the very common symptoms of Covid included cough, fever and loss of smell as well as at least 20 other symptoms. These included fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, muscle pains and gastrointestinal problems, as well as more unusual phenomena such as skin rashes and COVID tongue.
DELTA VARIANT
During the delta variant, which triggered the second wave, there was a shift in the most frequently reported symptoms.
Previously common symptoms of Covid-19 such as shortness of breath, fever and loss of smell fell down the rankings. Cold-like symptoms including a runny nose, sore throat and persistent sneezing became more common, along with a headache and cough, particularly in people who had been vaccinated.
OMICRON VARIANT
There was no significant difference in the overall symptom profile of delta and omicron, with the top five symptoms in both time periods being a runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing and a sore throat. But when it comes to the overall prevalence of the symptoms, there are some clear differences.
The Omicron variant is seen continuing the trend set by delta. It’s causing symptoms that are much more like a regular cold, particularly in people who’ve been vaccinated, and fewer general systemic symptoms, such as nausea, muscle pains, diarrhoea and skin rashes. Breathing problem is a very rare symptom of Omicron, very common of Delta.
Dr Swapneil Parikh, Covid-19 clinical researcher told Hindustan Times that upper respiratory symptoms including cold, cough and sore throat and other GI symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea are common symptoms of Omicron. He added that fever plus pain in the lower back and lower limbs are also some of the common symptoms.
HOW BAD IS OMICRON?
This new variant is much more infectious than previous variants, causing a surge in cases across the UK and in other countries.
Although it’s not yet clear whether countries will be facing an overwhelming wave of hospitalisations from the disease, experts say that it’s important to remember that while omicron and delta may feel like a cold to many, it can still kill or cause long-term symptoms that disrupt daily life, especially for people who have not been vaccinated or are immunocompromised.