Omicron variant shows ‘indications’ of being more transmissible than Delta – symptoms
Omicron variant to become ‘dominant strain’ says professor
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson attended a cabinet meeting today to update his team of ministers on the latest Covid situation. Giving an account of the meeting, a spokesperson said that “early indications” show that Omicron is more transmissible than Delta. The spokesperson elaborated: “The Prime Minister said it was too early to draw conclusions on the characteristics of Omicron, but early indications were that it is more transmissible than Delta.” Dr Angelique Coetzee, the chair of the South African Medical Association, highlighted how symptoms of the Omicron variant differ from other strains.
Firstly, those infected with Omicron are said not to experience loss of smell, loss of taste, a very stuffy nose, or a terrible cough.
The throat, however, is described to be “a bit scratchy” if you catch the Omicron variant.
There tends to be a feeling of “malaise, of not feeling well”, Dr Coetzee added.
Professor Tim Spector, the professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London – who spearheads the Covid Symptom Study – shared his wisdom.
Him and his team are expecting the number of Omicron cases to double “about every two days”.
In an interview with BBC Breakfast, Professor Spector said: “Those numbers are going to be pretty (high) certainly in about 10 days time.”
Professor Spector added: “Omicron is probably much more similar to the mild variants we’re seeing in people who have been vaccinated with Delta than anything else.
“And so it is going to be producing cold-like symptoms that people won’t recognise as Covid if they just believe the official Government advice.”
Current NHS guidelines detail the “main” symptoms of Covid to be:
- A high temperature
- A new, continuous cough
- A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.
Anybody presenting with any cold-like symptoms are encouraged to get tested for Covid.
Rapid flow tests can be sent to your home, free of charge, without the need for presenting symptoms.
Researchers have found lateral flow tests to be more than 80 percent effective at detecting a Covid infection.
If you order a free PCR test from the Government, your test will be sent off to a laboratory to confirm whether or not you are infected with Covid.
The latest Government statistics show that the number of people testing positive for Covid has increased by more than 12 percent in the past week.
In the last seven days, there has been 336,893 positive cases of Covid in the UK.
Thankfully, the number of patients admitted to hospital is still on a downward trend.
Compared to the week prior, the number of patients admitted to hospital has declined by eight percent.
There have been 5,349 people who have been admitted to hospitals in the UK in the past week.
The number of deaths, however, in the past 28 days since testing positive for coronavirus is on the rise.
There has been a three percent increase in the number of Covid patient deaths.
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