The unvaccinated may need to worry more about the omicron variant than the fully vaccinated, according to Dr. Robert Quigley, an expert on the coronavirus.
Quigley, the senior vice president and global medical director for International SOS, a leading medical and security services company, told me that there isn’t one omicron variant symptom to worry about if you’re fully vaccinated.
- The bottom line: “For those who are vaccinated, there is not one particular symptom to worry over,” he said. “However, those who are unvaccinated tend to experience fevers more often than those who are vaccinated and have a markedly higher rate of hospitalization for respiratory compromise.”
Quigley said that “symptoms have proven to remain mild for most (sore throat and runny nose).”
- He said it’s important for people who feel sick to self isolate and get tested for COVID-19.
- Anyone who tests positive “should take time to rest and hydrate while quarantining for the necessary time frame,” he said.
President Joe Biden said back in December that the unvaccinated should worry about the new emerging variant.
- “For unvaccinated, we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death ... for themselves, their families and the hospitals they’ll soon overwhelm,” Biden said. “But there’s good news. If you’re vaccinated, and you have your booster shot, you’re protected from severe illness and death, period.”
However, the new COVID-19 variant has proven to evade COVID-19 vaccines, infecting the fully vaccinated as well. That’s why experts have recommended people get their COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to stay safe.