“We’ve seen cases of Omicron among those who are both vaccinated and boosted and we believe these cases are milder or asymptomatic because of vaccine protection,” said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a White House COVID-19 briefing on Friday, Dec. 17.
Preliminary lab studies indicate 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.
Now, information is emerging on specific symptoms of the Omicron variant.
A ZOE study conducted in the United Kingdom analyzed thousands of COVID symptoms uploaded to an app by the British public.
The top five symptoms recorded in the Zoe app were:
- Runny nose,
- Headache,
- Fatigue (both mild or severe),
- Sneezing,
- Sore throat.
President Biden will address the nation to announce new measures to battle the virus on Tuesday, Dec. 21. The speech is expected to warn of a "dark winter" for those who remain unvaccinated.
The CDC recommends those who are unvaccinated delay travel until they are fully vaccinated.
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