Recovered From Omicron Infection? Here Is What Doctors Say You Should Keep In Mind
Three years into the pandemic, COVID-19 is still a mystery and the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes the infection keeps on evolving rapidly, leaving scientists and pharma companies to play catch up.
Currently, the Omicron strain (B.1.1.529) of the virus is spreading rapidly across the world.?
It is the third wave of COVID-19 in India, while in many countries in Europe and the US it is their fourth wave.
Unlike in the previous waves, Omicron infections are widely regarded as less deadly as the symptoms so far have been mild and the number of hospitalisations has been comparatively less.
But, with the infections spreading like wildfire, doctors have warned that things could change.?
They have also cautioned people against taking Omicron infection lightly.
Indiatimes?spoke to Dr. Vikas Deswal, Consultant ¨C Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine Department, at Medanta Hospital about the fast-evolving scenario.
"The main difference between Omicrons and previous COVID-19 infections is that it is more transmissible and the severity of the disease is also a little less. The symptoms of Omicron are also different - it is mainly throat-related, whereas in Delta you had throat and lungs symptoms. The loss of taste was very common in Delta infection, which is not the case in Omicron," Dr Deswal said.
Since the infections so far have been mild, the majority of the patients were asked to home isolate. Only around 5 % of those infected so far needed hospitalisation.
"Similar to the first and second waves, COVID-19 patients who are elderly, those who have obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, COPD, HIV, those undergone organ transplant, etc are at the risk of developing severe illness and needs hospitalisation. Most of those getting hospitalised with Omicron are also unvaccinated," he said.
The recovery time for Omicron patients is also less compared to Delta and other variants of COVID-19.
"The recovery time for non-hospitalised patients in Delta was anywhere between 10-14 days. But in Omicron it is 7-10 days," Dr Deswal said.
Despite it being dubbed as mild, Dr. Deswal said that post-recovery complications among COVID-19 recovered cannot be ruled out. He, however, added that it is too early to say.
"To say that post-COVID-19 complications will be lesser among Omicron patients will be too early. We need to monitor them long-term to see if they develop any health complications like fibrotic lung damage in the future. It will take at least a couple of more months to have a clear picture of this," he said.
He however added that people should watch out for symptoms like dyspnea on exertion and sudden weight gain.
"Recent studies have shown that around 20-30% per cent of COVID-19 recovered are developing diabetes. So it is advisable to get the blood sugar levels checked once every three months. You don't have to go for a full body checkup or anything like that if your body doesn't show any symptoms," he added.
Since most of the Omicron patients are advised to isolate at home, Dr. Deswal said guidelines for them are the same as in the first and second waves.
"Those who are recovering from Omicron at home should regularly monitor their vital parameters like blood oxygen, pulse rate, and blood pressure. Oxygen saturation should always be 94 or above and the blood pressure should also be normal. If the Oxygen saturation level drops below 94, they should immediately seek medical help or go to the hospital. It is also important for those recovering at home to have a healthy and nutritious diet and, stay calm, avoid alcohol and smoking," he said.
According to Dr. Deswal, the low hospitalisation rate is evidence enough that vaccines work and getting vaccinated can save lives and avoid serious illness.
"Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 gives you an 88 % protection against hospitalisation. The majority of the patients we have in ICU and are on oxygen support are unvaccinated. There are three benefits of vaccination - first, it reduces the risk of getting infected, second, it reduces your risk of getting hospitalised with COVID, and third, it reduces your risk of developing serious complications," he said.
He said that even the unvaccinated people who were infected with Omicron should get vaccinated against COVID-19 after recovery.
"Those recovered from COVID-19, including Omicron can get vaccinated after 90 days. This is irrespective of the previous vaccination status, be it first dose, second dose, or booster dose for those who are eligible," he said.
Dr. Deswal also warned people against taking Omicron as it is a milder version.
"I want to send out a message to people that don't take Omicrom lightly. We have an unprecedented number of people getting infected every day. Because of such a large number of infections, in the coming days, we may see the same number of hospitalisation as Delta.?So people should be very careful, they should be wearing face masks all the time, they should be following COVID-19 appropriate behaviors, and those who are unvaccinated should go for vaccination, those who are eligible for booster dose should take it at the earliest," he said.
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