Omicron: Commuters have their say over coronavirus measures
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Ever since the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated the new Omicron variant a “variant of concern” on November 24, the UK has reacted swiftly and with force. It has imposed a travel ban on travellers from South Africa, expanded its booster programme and reintroduced social distancing measures. Although WHO has suggested Omicron has an “increased risk of reinfection”, initial evidence also suggests it may cause a milder disease than the Delta strain, which is currently sweeping across Europe.
Nonetheless, it is important to stay alert and react accordingly if you spot the warning signs of the new variant.
If the variant proves more transmissible than previous strains, stemming transmission will save lives and ease pressure on the healthcare system.
Data are scarce on the symptoms to look for but doctors in South Africa – where the variant was first detected – have provided important clues.
At a briefing convened on Monday by South Africa’s Department of Health, general practitioner doctor Unben Pillay listed the symptoms that omicron patients were reporting.
One telltale sign may surface during the night, according to the doc.
Patients are presenting with “night sweats”, he said.
Night sweats are when you sweat so much that your night clothes and bedding are soaking wet, even though where you’re sleeping is cool.
Doctor Pillay also said he is seeing patients presenting with a dry cough, fever and “a lot of body pains.”
He added that vaccinated people tend to do “much better”.
Although the evidence is currently scarce, there are encouraging signs that the current vaccines will provide some protection against the Omicron variant.
Early data suggests booster jabs against COVID-19 do provide an extra layer of protection against the illness.
Real-world data from Israel and the United Kingdom indicate thata booster dose of one of the widely used mRNA-based vaccines sharply lowers a person’s likelihood of catching SARS-CoV-2 and getting sick.
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