Weakness, body ache: Common symptoms of 5 Omicron patients in India

The previous infections, caused by Delta or other variants of the SARS-CoV-2, triggered breathing trouble, loss of taste and smell.

As South African doctors who first dealt with Omicron patients said that this variant has been producing symptoms that are different from the previous infections, the five confirmed Omicron cases in India report mild symptoms. The Tanzania returnee who became the 5th Omicron patient of India and the first confirmed case of Delhi had a sore throat, weakness and body ache, LNJP MP Dr Suresh Kumar told news agency ANI. The other international travellers who have been admitted to LNJP after testing positive are stable and majorly asymptomatic.

Delhi government's LNJP hospital has been designated for the treatment of the Omicron variant of Covid. 

The previous infections, caused by Delta or other variants of the SARS-CoV-2, triggered breathing trouble, loss of taste and smell. Though Omicron is at the stage of research and not much is known about the variant, the cases reported in India and other countries indicate that the symptoms are more like common cold and nothing like Covid-19 cases, caused by other variants.

The unfamiliar symptoms of Omicron were first reported by South African doctor Angelique Coetzee, chairperson of the South African Medical Association, who first alerted the South Africa government about the new variant. Scientists said this new characteristic of Omicron might be a result of its mutation. The variant might have adopted a "more human" appearance by picking up a snippet of genetic material from another virus, probably a common cold virus.

The first Omicron case of India, the South African national who already left the country, was completely asymptomatic and tested negative. The Bengaluru doctor with no international travel history, the Mumbai marine engineer who was not vaccinated, the Gujarat NRI -- all Omicron patients have reported mild symptoms.

While these symptoms indicate that the variant is not causing severe illness, scientists are not yet sure about its increased transmissibility. Director of Tata Institute for Genetics and Society and former Chief of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Centre For Cellular And Molecular Biology, Dr Rakesh Mishra, said people are likely to confuse this with the common cold as there is no breathing trouble or loss of smell or taste, which may increase its spread.

(With agency inputs)