The ZOE Covid Study continues to update its list of COVID-19 symptoms, especially among those who are infected by the Omicron Variant.
- The second most common symptom is one that’s easy to miss — headaches.
- “One early symptom many are reporting is so mild and commonplace, it can be easy to miss: headaches,” Nexstar reports,
Indeed, Business Insider recently used data from the Zoe COVID Symptom Study to create a chart that identified the top 14 COVID-19 symptoms from the omicron variant.
- 68% of people said they experienced a headache, second only to a runny nose, which sat at 73%.
- Other top omicron variant symptoms included fatigue, sneezing, sore throat and a hoarse voice, among several others, as I reported for the Deseret News.
Many public health officials have taken heart in early evidence that suggests infections from the Omicron variant tend to cause less severe illness than other versions of the coronavirus. But another important question looms: whether infection with Omicron, including breakthrough cases in vaccinated people, can result in long Covid — the constellation of physical, neurological and cognitive symptoms that can last for months and impair people’s daily lives
Can Omicron cause long Covid?
Because the Omicron variant was first identified in late November, it is too early to say how long symptoms of infection can persist. It is also unclear whether, like previous versions of the virus, it can lead to the emergence of problems like brain fog or extreme fatigue after the infection has resolved.
Can vaccines prevent long Covid?
Maybe.
Vaccines primarily prevent people from getting seriously ill or dying from a coronavirus infection. Vaccines primarily prevent people from getting seriously ill or dying from a coronavirus infection. With some previous variants, vaccines seemed to reduce the likelihood of infection itself — and not being infected is, of course, the best way to avoid long Covid. But vaccines have not been as effective in preventing infection with Omicron, and breakthrough infections with this new variant are far more common.
Can vaccines help if you already have long Covid?
When vaccines were first rolled out, before the emergence of the more contagious Delta variant which preceded the even-more-contagious Omicron variant, some patients with long Covid were finding that symptoms like brain fog, joint pain, shortness of breath and fatigue improved after they were vaccinated. Still, many people experienced no difference in their symptoms after vaccination and a small percentage said they felt worse
For more information, see links:. New York Times and The Deseret News
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