Are the symptoms of the Delta Covid variant different?

Have the symptoms of Covid-19 changed given that the Delta variant is currently the most common form of the virus in the United States?

There is little data on this question and much remains to be unraveled.

Unvaccinated patients make up the vast majority of people hospitalized with Covid-19, so they may be more likely to develop serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or persistent pain or pressure in the chest. Researchers are not yet sure whether delta alone is responsible for these serious symptoms or whether it is the upsurge in childhood infections that may lead to more hospitalizations.

The Delta variant is almost twice as contagious as the previous variants. It replicates quickly in the body, and people carry large amounts of the virus up their nose and throat.

Dr Andrew T. Chan, public health researcher and physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and one of the lead investigators of the Covid Symptom study, followed millions of people from Britain, the United States and Sweden via an app that asks participants to monitor their symptoms. A preprint using data from the study that has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal suggests that those who are vaccinated are well protected against delta. Breakthrough infections, although rare, tend to produce symptoms that are milder and of shorter duration.

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Among vaccinated adults, “the symptoms we are seeing now are much more commonly identified with the common cold,” Chan said. “We are still seeing people with a cough, but we are also seeing a higher prevalence of things like a runny nose and sneezing.” Headaches and sore throats are other main complaints, he added. Fever and loss of taste and smell are reported to a lesser extent.

Chan said researchers began to see reported milder symptoms by the time the Delta variant became prevalent in Britain, starting in late spring, which also coincided with the mass vaccination schedule of the country.

New York City pediatricians say they are seeing many of the same symptoms in children that they have seen since the start of the pandemic, and that the most severe cases tend to occur in unvaccinated adolescents , especially those with underlying illnesses like diabetes or obesity. . Some toddlers or school-aged children can also get very sick from Covid, but doctors aren’t always sure why one child gets so much sicker than another, said Dr Sallie Permar, chief pediatrician at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine.

Fever, cough, fatigue, headaches and sore throats are the “classic presentation of Covid” in symptomatic children, she added.

If your child has potential symptoms of Covid, including gastrointestinal issues, arrange for you and your child to be tested for Covid, then stay home until the results are negative, said the Dr Adam Ratner, Director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases in Hassenfeld. NYU Langone Children’s Hospital. “It’s part of how we keep schools safe,” he added.

Testing is also essential for adults, the experts said. Even if you have been vaccinated and your symptoms are mild, it is best to get tested.

“It’s time to be humble that this is a new variation. We’re still learning, ”said Dr. Mark Mulligan, director of the NYU Langone Vaccine Center and chief of infectious diseases at NYU Langone Health. “Be careful and err on the side of caution in terms of going ahead and taking a test.”