Coronavirus Symptoms According to Different Variants
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In December 2019, the world was informed of a new pathogen the SARS-Cov-2 or the Coronavirus by the World Health Organization that reported cases of Covid-19 from Wuhan, China. In just two months, it was declared as a global pandemic, signalling that the virus had spread across international barriers of countries and infected a large number of people.
Within exactly a year, in December 2020, a new ‘strand’ or variant of the SARS Coronavirus was identified by the WHO, belonging to the south-east of England. Scientists and medical professionals have established that the new variant from England is more potent and infectious than the original strand. As per recent reports, Covid-19 symptoms are more conspicuous among people who have contracted the new UK variant. This being said, we are now going to understand the different symptoms of Covid-19 associated with its different variants. Let’s find out from the list below -
Coronavirus Symptoms According to Different Variants
The following are a list of the different symptoms of Covid-19 according to its different variants -
1. Original Strand or Wuhan Variant
One of the chief characteristics of this strand of the Coronavirus is that many people might be infected by it but would not show any symptoms at all. Researchers are of the opinion that people with the original strand of Covid-19 will have a wide range of symptoms: from mild indicators to severe illnesses. Older people are likely to manifest more serious symptoms and their chances of recovery will be considerably less than the younger population. The symptoms listed below would usually begin 2 to 14 days after a person has contracted the Coronavirus or has been in contact with people suffering from it.
The Covid-19 symptoms for people suffering from its Wuhan Variant are as follows -
2. Fever
Data collected over the last year has firmly established that 19% of Covid-19 patients had fever linked to the original strand of the virus.
3. Dry Cough
Dry cough was a major symptom linked with the Wuhan Variant of Covid-19, with about 28% of people experiencing this.
4. Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing was one of the most common features reported by patients suffering from the original strand of Covid-19.
5. Loss of Taste and Smell
Unlike other symptoms, the loss of taste and smell was one of the chief indicators of a patient suffering from Covid-19. About 18%-19% of people reportedly lost their olfactory and taste sensations after being affected by the original strand of the virus.
6. Chest Pain
Many people complained of chest pain and muscle aches and were identified to be suffering from the Wuhan Variant of Covid-19.
7. New Strand or UK Variant
Researchers are of the opinion that the new strand or the UK Variant of the Coronavirus has more symptoms across a broad spectrum in comparison with its older counterpart. The reason for different symptoms for different strands is the visible change in the genetic code of the virus that results in proteins being built differently, thereby altering the way the virus interacts with the body. While it’s still too early to understand the significant differences between the two strands of Coronavirus, some of symptoms for people suffering from the new strand or the UK Variant is as follows -
8. Fever
People suffering from the UK Variant of Covid-19 have largely been reported of having fever and the percentage of individuals experiencing the same is greater than those of the original strand.
9. Dry Cough
Like the symptom mentioned above, 35% of the people infected by the UK Variant have been reportedly experiencing dry cough, signaling a higher concentration of the symptom in individuals, in comparison to the Wuhan Variant.
10. Body Ache
With symptoms increasing their concentration in each consecutive aspect, body aches are also not left out. 24% of more people infected with the new UK Variant showed signs of muscle weakness and body aches and are more susceptible to the same symptom in comparison to the older variant.
11. Loss of Taste and Smell
Quite contrary to the older strand, the new strand of the Coronavirus does not necessarily induce a loss of olfactory or taste sensations in patients. Therefore, even if you retain your sense of smell and taste, you should be aware of the other symptoms and their propensity to figure out if you have contracted Covid-19 or not.
12. Fatigue
32% of people suffering from the UK Variant of Covid-19 complained of fatigue or weakness and unlike the WuhanVariat, showing signs of tiredness is a major symptom of the new variant.
Covid-19 spreads easily than the flu and causes serious illness in older people. It can also take a long time before any individual registers or shows its acute symptoms as listed above. Since some of the symptoms of Covid-19 are similar to the flu, it can be difficult to discern between the two and testing is hence mandatory to confirm the diagnosis. While newer facts are being revealed by Covid-19 every day, you should be very careful and take utmost precautions to safeguard yourself. If you see a propensity in more than one of the symptoms mentioned in this article, you must see a doctor immediately.
Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.
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