Have the symptoms of Covid-19 changed since the Delta variant is currently the most common form of the virus in the United States?
There is little data on this issue and much remains to be unraveled.
Unvaccinated patients make up the vast majority of those hospitalized with Covid-19, so they are more likely to have severe symptoms, such as respiratory problems, or persistent pain or pressure in the chest. Researchers still do not know for sure whether only the delta is responsible for these severe symptoms or whether it is the increase in childhood infections, which can lead to more hospitalizations.
The Delta variant is almost twice as contagious as the previous variants. It replicates quickly in the body and people carry a lot of viruses in their nose and throat.
Dr. Andrew T. Chan, a physician and public health researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and one of the leading researchers in the Covid symptom study, has followed millions of people in Britain, the United States and Sweden through ‘an application that asks participants to monitor their symptoms. A prepress that uses data from the study that has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal suggests that vaccinated people are well protected from the delta. Advanced infections, although rare, usually produce milder, shorter-lasting symptoms.
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Among vaccinated adults, “the symptoms we see now are much more identified with the common cold,” Chan said. “We keep seeing people who have a cough, but we also see a higher prevalence of things like runny nose and sneezing.” Headache and sore throat are other major complaints, he added. Fever and loss of taste and smell are being communicated to a lesser degree.
Chan said researchers began to see milder symptoms by the time the Delta variant prevailed in Britain, starting in late spring, which also coincided with the country’s mass vaccination program.
New York City pediatricians say they see many of the same symptoms in children they have seen since the onset of the pandemic and that the most severe cases are usually among unvaccinated teens, especially those with underlying diseases such as diabetes or obesity. . Some young children or school-age children may also get a lot of Covid, but doctors don’t always know why one child gets much sicker than another, said Dr. Sallie Permar, chief pediatrician at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill. Cornell Medicine.
Fever, cough, fatigue, headache and sore throat are the “classic presentation of Covid” among symptomatic children, he added.
If your child has any potential symptoms of Covid, including gastrointestinal problems, arrange a Covid test for you and your child and then stay home until the results are negative, Dr. Adam Ratner, director of Hassenfeld’s Pediatric Infectious Diseases Division. Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone. “That’s part of how we keep schools safe,” he added.
Testing is also essential for adults, experts say. Even if you have been vaccinated and the symptoms are mild, it is best to get tested.
“It’s time to be humble because this is a new variant. We’re still learning, “said Dr. Mark Mulligan, director of NYU’s Langone Vaccine Center and head of NYU Langone Health’s infectious diseases. “.