COVID-19 is spreading again, but this time around, it’s also infecting those who recently caught omicron.
The subvariant BA.5 is behind a majority of new cases, while BA.4 accounts for less than 8% of new infections. The seven-day average for hospitalizations stayed consistent at over 6,000 during the last week of July, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
Dr. Debra Powell, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Tower Health in Philadelphia, said that the new subvariant could cause a rise in cases as the new school year begins.
“I do think we will see an uptick once children go back to school. This variant is more infectious and there will be more variants that come next,” she said, per WPVI, an ABC affiliate in Philadelphia. “The new variant BA.5 is more infectious than prior variants — about five times as infectious.”
Signs you could be infected with omicron
There are two specific symptoms that could be signs that a positive COVID-19 test is coming, according to The Independent:
- Fatigue.
- Spells of dizziness or fainting.
“Fatigue can translate to bodily pain by causing sore or weak muscles, headaches and even blurry vision and loss of appetite,” the report stated.
Per Reuters, Dr. Angelique Coetzee, a private practitioner and chair of the South African Medical Association, also mentioned that tiredness was one of the main symptoms of BA.5 when there was an outbreak in South Africa.
What are the top omicron symptoms to look out for?
As I previously reported, omicron subvariants have a shorter incubation period, which is why the symptoms may appear earlier. The worst symptom is a “throat on fire,” said UCSF’s Dr. Peter Chin-Hong.
The most common omicron-related symptoms are:
- Cough.
- Fatigue.
- Congestion.
- Runny nose.