People reinfected with omicron variant had fewer symptoms, small CDC study finds
covid 19 omicron incubation period
The report, which looked at six people, also suggests the incubation period for the new variant may be shorter.
People who had Covid-19 and are later reinfected with the omicron variant may experience fewer symptoms than they did during their initial bout with the virus, a small study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests.
The study, published Tuesday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, looked at six people in a single household with confirmed cases of the highly contagious variant, five of whom were previously infected with other strains of the virus. One reinfected person was fully vaccinated, but had not received a booster.
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The CDC study comes one week after Scottish researchers reported preliminary findings suggesting the rates of reinfection with the omicron variant are much higher compared to delta.
The CDC report focused on six individuals in Nebraska. One of the people, a 48-year-old man who was unvaccinated but previously infected, had traveled to Nigeria in November.
Five others in the household subsequently got sick, and all cases were confirmed to be the omicron variant.
What is the incubation period of COVID-19 ?
The virus that causes COVID-19 can spread through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.
Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after someone is exposed to the virus and can include fever, chills, and cough.
Some people who are infected may not have symptoms, which is why everyone should take everyday preventive actions.
Anyone can have severe illness from COVID-19, especially older adults and people of any age with underlying conditions.
Learn more about variants of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Does the Omicron variant of COVID-19 spread faster?
Underscoring increasing concerns about Omicron, scientists in South Africa said on Friday that the newest coronavirus variant appeared to spread more than twice as quickly as Delta, which had been considered the most contagious version of the virus.
Omicron’s rapid spread results from a combination of contagiousness and an ability to dodge the body’s immune defenses, the researchers said. But the contribution of each factor is not yet certain.
“We’re not sure what that mixture is,” said Carl Pearson, a mathematical modeler at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who led the analysis. “It’s possible that it might even be less transmissible than Delta.”
Dr. Pearson posted the results on Twitter. The research has not yet been peer-reviewed nor published in a scientific journal.
On Thursday, researchers reported that the new variant may partly dodge immunity gained from a previous infection. It’s still unclear whether, or to what degree, Omicron may evade protection conferred by the vaccines.
But some experts said they would expect the outcome to be similar.
“It’s scary that there are so many reinfections happening, which means that vaccine-induced immunity may also be impacted in similar way,” said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale.
The Omicron variant has appeared in nearly two dozen countries. The United States has identified at least 10 cases in six states. President Biden reiterated on Friday morning that his administration’s newest pandemic measures, which were announced this week, should be sufficient to blunt the spread of Omicron.
The variant was first identified in South Africa on Nov. 23 and has quickly come to account for about three-quarters of new cases in that country. South Africa reported 11,535 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, a 35 percent jump from the day before, and the proportion of positive test results increased to 22.4 percent from 16.5 percent.
When should you get tested for COVID-19 after contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient if fully vaccinated?
Quarantine if you have been in close contact (within 6 feet of someone for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone who has COVID-19, unless you have been fully vaccinated. People who are fully vaccinated do NOT need to quarantine after contact with someone who had COVID-19 unless they have symptoms. However, fully vaccinated people should get tested 5-7 days after their exposure, even if they don’t have symptoms and wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until their test result is negative.
Can an infected person spread COVID-19 before showing symptoms?
An infected person can spread COVID-19 starting 2 days before the person has any symptoms or tests positive. People who have COVID-19 don’t always have obvious symptoms.
A person is still considered a close contact even if they were wearing a mask while they were around someone with COVID-19.
How serious is the COVID-19 Omicron variant?
Omicron Is Fast Moving, but Perhaps Less Severe, Early Reports Suggest
Researchers in South Africa, where the variant is spreading quickly, say it may cause less serious Covid cases than other forms of the virus, but it is unclear whether that will hold true.
The Covid-19 virus is spreading faster than ever in South Africa, the country’s president said Monday, an indication of how the new Omicron variant is driving the pandemic, but there are early indications that Omicron may cause less serious illness than other forms of the virus.
Researchers at a major hospital complex in Pretoria reported that their patients with the coronavirus are much less sick than those they have treated before, and that other hospitals are seeing the same trends. In fact, they said, most of their infected patients were admitted for other reasons and have no Covid symptoms.
Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other” variants of concern, the organization said in a statement Friday. “(This) variant has been detected at faster rates than previous surges in infection, suggesting that this variant may have a growth advantage.”
Can I find out if I got Omicron? No. In most cases, you won’t know which variant of coronavirus you’ve caught and your lab test typically won’t tell you. In general, the guidance on isolation, monitoring and treatment does not change based on which variant infected you.
Underscoring increasing concerns about Omicron, scientists in South Africa said on Friday that the newest coronavirus variant appeared to spread more than twice as quickly as Delta, which had been considered the most contagious version of the virus.
The World Health Organization says the global risk from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is “very high” based on early evidence, and it could lead to surges with “severe consequences”
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