Despite recent warning of a latest variant from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases of COVID-19 are noticeably weaker than previous waves, a top NYC doctor has said.
“Nearly everyone who I’ve seen has had really mild symptoms,” Dr. Erick Eiting, who’s vice chair of operations for emergency medicine at Mount Sinai Downtown, told NBC News. The outlet also reported that the virus has grow to be so light it is difficult to inform other than allergies or simply a typical cold.
“The one way that we knew that it was COVID was because we happened to be testing them,” Eiting added, noting that current symptoms mostly include congestion, some sneezing and a gentle sore throat.
In keeping with a protracted term study of COVID symptoms based within the UK, a sore throat was connected to the illness significantly more often following the Omicron variant of 2021.
A loss in taste and smell now only impacts around 10-20% of COVID patients versus 60-70% in the course of the early pandemic, observed Dr. Grace McComsey of Case Western University.
Still, current patients may endure “a burning sensation like they never had, even with strep up to now,” in response to Dr. McComsey. “Then, as soon because the congestion happens, it looks as if the throat gets higher,” she added.
Each doctors also reported that fewer patients in comparison with last yr are in need of intense hospital care, per NBC, adding that antiviral pill treatment through Paxlovid and similar alternatives are speeding up recoveries.
“Especially since July, when this recent mini-surge began, younger those that have upper respiratory symptoms — cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever and chills — 99% of the time they go home with supportive care,” emergency physician Dr. Michael Daignault, of Windfall Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, said.
One other virology expert, Dr. Dan Barouch at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said that it’s our immune systems and effectiveness from vaccines which can be accountable for COVID’s long-awaited downfall.
“Overall, the severity of COVID is way lower than it was a yr ago and two years ago. That’s not since the variants are less robust. It’s since the immune responses are higher,” he said.
