Whereas consultants are nonetheless working to grasp the variant, early analysis says signs might resemble the widespread chilly.
INDIANAPOLIS — As events start days earlier than Christmas, two variants will possible pressure their manner into our vacation festivities this 12 months.
On Monday, federal well being officers mentioned omicron is now the dominant model of the coronavirus within the U.S., accounting for 73% of latest infections final week. The World Well being Group designated omicron because the fifth variant of concern in November 2021.
Since then, new research launched from areas the place omicron first appeared are giving glimpses into how the variant assaults the physique.
Preliminary labs counsel the omicron variant might not assault the higher respiratory system in the identical manner others do, so signs may manifest otherwise.
Some United Kingdom estimates discovered the omicron variant was 25-50% extra transmissible than different variants.
Preliminary information from the ZOE COVID Symptom Research app, a UK primarily based epidemiological analysis app which collects information on individuals’s signs, reveals cold-like signs had been prevalent in individuals who examined optimistic for omicron.
The highest 5 signs reported within the ZOE app had been:
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Runny nostril
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Headache
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Fatigue (both gentle or extreme)
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Sneezing
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Sore throat
Specialists say that even with out Omicron, COVID infections are going by means of a “winter surge.”
At the moment, there may be a median of 83,000 new COVID instances within the U.S. day by day, with 61% of the inhabitants vaccinated.
In Indiana, which one examine named the least secure state within the nation for COVID-19, the quantity is decrease. Solely 51.7% of the inhabitants is totally vaccinated.
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Hospitalizations of individuals being handled for COVID-19 have elevated 150% in Indiana in simply over 5 weeks.
“The numbers I’m seeing for ICU mattress availability throughout Indiana are scary,” Dr. Graham Carlos, government medical director at Eskenazi Well being, advised 13News final week.
That is inflicting many hospitals, like Eskenazi, to show away incoming sufferers.
“Each day or each different day, hospitals are on and off diversion. As they can get sufferers discharged, shortly new sufferers fill proper again in,” Carlos mentioned.
IU Well being requested assist from the Indiana Nationwide Guard for practically all of its hospitals. At the moment, groups are supporting 13 of the 16 hospitals.
On Sunday, Indiana acquired the primary confirmed case of the omicron variant within the state. The Indiana State Division of Well being introduced it was present in a specimen collected from an unvaccinated Indiana resident.
The variant was verified by means of the ISDH Laboratories’ variant surveillance program, in accordance with a information launch.
The pattern was collected Dec. 9, and omicron was detected within the pattern this weekend after sequencing was performed.
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There have been greater than 50.84 million confirmed instances of COVID-19 in america as of 1:30 a.m. Monday, in accordance with Johns Hopkins College. There have been greater than 806,400 deaths recorded within the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been greater than 274.7 million confirmed coronavirus instances with greater than 5.35 million deaths and greater than 8.68 billion vaccine doses administered worldwide.
The White Home’s high medical adviser mentioned the COVID-19 omicron variant is “simply raging world wide.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s main infectious illness professional, advised NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “the true drawback” for the U.S. hospital system is that “now we have so many individuals on this nation who’re eligible to be vaccinated who haven’t but been vaccinated.”
On Tuesday, Dec. 21, President Joe Biden is planning to present what his press secretary says is “a stark warning of what the winter will appear like” for unvaccinated People.
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