False claim about Omicron variant and its symptoms
False claim about Omicron variant and its symptoms
(Reuters) - Social media users are sharing a post that makes various claims about the symptoms, severity and testing of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
An example can be seen here .
The post begins with: “Be sure to wear a mask, because the new COVID-Omicron variant coronavirus is different, deadly and not easy to detect correctly.”
The Omicron variant has been found through testing in about 22 states in the U.S. so far after being identified in southern Africa and Hong Kong in late November. (here )
SYMPTOMS
The post claims that the symptoms of the Omicron variant do not include cough or fever, but only joint pain, headache, pain in the neck, upper body back pain, pneumonia, and lack of appetite.
There is no evidence that these are Omicron’s symptoms and that it does not cause cough or fever.
David O’Connor, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Reuters via email there had not been enough time or cases to know if the Omicron variant results in different symptoms.
“What has been widely recirculated are a few expert views based on an analysis of only a very small number of cases,” O’Connor said. “Doctors and scientists need more time to know if or how Omicron severity is different.”
The WHO told Reuters via email it was not clear yet if the Omicron variant was more transmissible or causes more severe disease compared to other variants.
“Preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected, rather than a result of specific infection with Omicron,” the WHO said. “There is currently no information to suggest that symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those from other variants.”
Among the Omicron cases in the United States, 25 were in people aged 18 to 39, and 14 had traveled internationally. Six people had previously been infected with the coronavirus. (here )
Most of them only had mild symptoms such as coughing, congestion, and fatigue, the report said, and one person was hospitalized for two days. Other symptoms reported less frequently included nausea or vomiting, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, diarrhea and loss of taste or smell. (here )
Reuters Fact Check previously debunked a similar claim with symptoms falsely attributed to the Omicron variant here.
SEVERITY
The post claims that the variant is five times more dangerous than the Delta variant, with a higher mortality rate and a quicker progression to extreme severity.
There is no evidence to support this claim.
In its latest weekly epidemiological report, the WHO said more data is needed to assess the severity of disease caused by Omicron, the fifth variant of concern of the coronavirus, and whether its many mutations might reduce protection from vaccine-derived immunity.
DIAGNOSIS
The post claims: “The result of nasal swab test for COVID-Omicron is usually negative, and the number of false negative cases of nasopharyngeal test is increasing.”
There is no evidence to support this claim. The WHO said in a Nov. 28, 2021 update here : “The widely used PCR tests continue to detect infection, including infection with Omicron, as we have seen with other variants as well.”
Fact checker factcheck.org also debunked this claim.
VERDICT
Misleading. At the time of publishing, there is no evidence that the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus leads to different symptoms of increased severity. There is also no evidence that it often causes false negative results in testing.
