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As more becomes known about the highly transmissible COVID-19 Omicron variant from both studies and anecdotal evidence, new symptoms of the strain continue to emerge.
Brand-new reports are now surfacing that those infected with the strain may experience loss of appetite and brain fog.
That's according to a ZOE study conducted in the United Kingdom that analyzed thousands of COVID symptoms uploaded to an app by the British public.
Though they weren't among the most prevalent symptoms reported, some who took part in the survey reported a loss of appetite (as well as nausea) along with brain fog as symptoms they experienced
According to a Daily Express report out of the United Kingdom. Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London, said nausea and loss of appetite tended to be more common in those who were fully vaccinated and boosted.
Brain fog "can affect people differently but it tends to involve memory problems, difficulty concentrating, and not being able to think clearly," according to a separate report in the Daily Express.
The most common symptoms recorded in the ZOE app revealed that Omicron might feel like the traditional cold in many ways.
The Top 5 symptoms in the study were:
- Runny nose,
- Headache,
- Fatigue (both mild or severe),
- Sneezing,
- Sore throat.
A United Kingdom National Health Service physician, Dr. Amir Khan, said that among patients he's treated, night sweats have become a common Omicron symptom, according to a report in The Sun.
"Those kind of drenching night sweats where you might have to get up and change your clothes," Khan said in an interview with ITV.
Khan added that it’s important we keep on "top of these symptoms," so those who have them are tested for COVID-19.
Preliminary lab studies have indicated that Omicron may not attack the lungs like other variants.
Omicron "replicates, multiples very well in the upper airway (above the neck), but less well in the lung," Top Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University Medical Center told NBC News.
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.
Symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms, said the CDC, which currently lists these 11 symptoms for COVID-19:
- Fever or chills,
- Cough,
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing,
- Fatigue,
- Muscle or body aches,
- Headache,
- New loss of taste or smell.
- Sore throat,
- Congestion or runny nose.
- Nausea or vomiting,
- Diarrhea.
The list does not include all possible symptoms, the CDC said.
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