The omicron variant of the coronavirus may account for about 95% of all new COVID-19 cases in the United States, and doctors report the symptoms they see in new patients.
Saint Luke’s Critical Care physician Dr. Carole Freiberger told the Kansas City Star that fully vaccinated COVID-19 patients have had symptoms similar to the common cold or no COVID-19 symptoms at all.
- She said the most common omicron variant symptoms include: runny nose, stuffy nose, sore throat, fatigue and headaches.
Freiberger said that the symptoms of the omicron variant have been very different from previous strains of COVID-19.
- “You know when you have a very bad cold and you feel bad, and there are mainly upper respiratory symptoms, it is more what we are seeing now,” Freiberger said.
- “Unlike when the original and the delta variant were raging, we saw a lot more high fevers, coughs and body aches, those were the three main symptoms that were seen.”
The omicron variant appears to be more transmissible compared to previous COVID-19 strains and variants, changing the way fully vaccinated people must deal with the virus.
Dr. Jeffrey Jahre, an infectious disease expert at St. Luke’s University Health Network in Pennsylvania, told WNEP-TV that the COVID-19 vaccine does not always stop the omicron variant and that is because the vaccine is not perfect.
- “The main objective of the COVID vaccine is the same way that we see a vaccine against influenza, and it is to keep it away from the most serious consequences of contracting the disease. What we are talking about is hospitalization and obviously very severe hospitalization and intensive care unit and also tragically, death. In that situation, the COVID vaccine has been very good doing its job, “he said.