What is STEALTH OMICRON all about?
Allow me to discuss a topic that is timely. It is a topic that people should be concerned about because it has something to do with their health.
This week’s topic is about Stealth Omicron.
What is Stealth Omicron? It is a subvariant of the virus known as SARS-CoV-2. It is also known as BA.2.
BA.2 is a stealth subvariant which has more mutations and spread much faster compared to the original Omicron variant.
According to experts, Stealth Omicron is responsible for the new wave of cases in India.
The problem with BA.2 or Stealth Omicron is that it is difficult to detect even with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.
Experts say that with Stealth Omicron, a false negative PCR result is common. Thus, this kind of infection is difficult to track.
As this develops, it seems that PCR has a low sensitivity in terms of detecting Stealth Omicron and for this reason physicians recommend people who are highly probable to be infected with Covid to isolate themselves, even if the PCR test yields a negative result.
The symptoms of Stealth Omicron and a flu infection are overlapping.
Thus, it is extremely difficult to differentiate a flu illness and a Stealth Omicron infection.
Doctors are recommending that people who suffer from flu-like symptoms to strictly follow the Covid protocol to prevent the transmission of the virus to other people.
It has been observed that Stealth Omicron-infected patients tend
to complain of back pain. However, the loss of the sense of taste is not prevalent in patients infected by the stealth Omicron.
It is known that loss of the sense of taste and the loss of the sense of smell are common among patients infected with the Delta variant.
The good news is that available vaccines against Covid are still effective in preventing severe and critical disease against this Stealth Omicron, according to experts.