Why are people infected with the omicron variant showing a strange new symptom?
At this point in the pandemic, we all have become familiar with the symptoms of COVID — fever, cough and a loss of taste and smell. But now that omicron has become the dominant strain in the U.S., people are starting to report a symptom often associated with a litany of other conditions — night sweats.
That means repeated episodes of extreme perspiration, often leaving your clothes and sheets soaked with sweat by the time you wake up.
The change in symptoms was first noted in Britain which was hit with omicron before it quickly spread to the U.S.
Doctors with the country’s national health service now say it is a sign you should go get tested for COVID.
The other symptoms most reported with omicron are sore throat, headache and fatigue.
Common COVID symptoms, like the loss of taste and smell, do not appear to be affecting people with this new variant.
The good news is there is growing evidence that omicron causes less severe symptoms. The research is showing that the extremely contagious variant is more likely to infect the throat than the lungs, meaning it is doing less damage to the lungs.
So far these studies have not been peer-reviewed, but researchers believe omicron’s mutations have changed its ability to infect different types of cells.
But experts warn we shouldn’t be lured into a false sense of security because omicron remains a very real global health threat.