The BA.2 variant — a subvariant of the omicron variant — has continued to spread throughout the United States in recent weeks, becoming the dominant COVID-19 strain in the country.
Why it matters: Many people across the country may start experiencing COVID-19 symptoms again — since the BA.2 variant has the potential to reinfect people — or infect them for the first time.
- Some COVID-19 symptoms are unusual and might not align with what you thought were COVID symptoms before.
What to know: Dr. Joseph Khabbaza, a pulmonary and critical care physician at the Cleveland Clinic, said in February that COVID-19 can come with a number of unusual symptoms — which are different than the traditional symptoms (cough, fever and more) that you’d expect.
What he said: “Really, nothing is off the table when it comes to COVID. I always get texts from people asking if something they’re experiencing is normal. Well, there’s nothing that’s truly abnormal when it comes to COVID — literally almost anything goes and we don’t exactly know why,” said Khabbaza.
Symptoms: Khabbaza said there are at least 10 unusual symptoms you might want to look out for:
- Brain fog.
- Confusion.
- Hallucinations.
- Delirium.
- Elevated heart rate.
- Elevated temperature.
- Skin irritation.
- Vocal cord neuropathy.
- Loss of taste.
- Loss of smell.
What to do: You should contact your health care provider if you experience any of these unusual symptoms, he said.
The bigger picture: The coronavirus continues to creep closer to everyone in their daily lives as restrictions fall and the world fully opens up again.
- The BA.2 variant specifically now represents about 54% of COVID-19 cases across the country. The Northeast region of the United States is getting hit hard by the subvariant, per CNN.
- The Food and Drug Administration Tuesday authorized a second COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for older Americans and people with immunocompromised conditions.