How Omicron Variant of Covid-19 differs from Alpha & Delta Variants

How is the Omicron Variant different from Alpha & Delta Variants of COVID-19?

Anika H. Ahmed, MD

As family and friends depart for their respective destinations after celebrating Thanksgiving together, and folks hosting Thanksgiving dinners are still finishing their leftovers, they receive news of yet another variant of Coronavirus, namely Omicron, first detected in South Africa. This new variant is fast making waves across the globe leading to new travel restrictions on flights going back and forth from South Africa, in particular. Many countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, European Union Countries, Germany, Italy, Israel, Belgium, Hong Kong, Australia, and Pakistan have announced travel restrictions. The United States is presently allowing only fully vaccinated, essential workers and US citizens to board flights coming from South Africa, a strict precautionary measure to prevent Omicron from entering the Unites States. So far, no Omicron has been detected in the United States.

Research continues on the new Omicron variant and scientists are conducting observational studies and collecting data for comparison between the original, Alpha Variant of Covid-19 detected first in the United Kingdom, the deadly Delta variant first detected in India and the now new Omicron variant detected initially in South Africa. Interestingly all three variants present clinically with somewhat different symptoms as following:

• Alpha Variant: Patients testing positive for Alpha variant of Coronavirus usually present clinically with symptoms 2-14 days after exposure to the virus and have fever, chills, dyspnea with difficulty in breathing, generalized body aches, fatigue, headache, loss of taste or smell, chest congestion and runny nose, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
• Delta Variant: The most common symptoms of patients testing positive for Delta variant are cold like symptoms namely sore throat, headache, fever, fatigue and loss of taste and smell.
• Omicron Variant recently detected in patients presents clinically with extreme fatigue and joint pains. It is also observed that these patients have mild symptoms that subside in a couple of days, with majority complaining of extreme fatigue and exhaustion. It is more dangerous because early evidence on omicron shows that the variant has a large number of mutations, some of which have concerning characteristics — including an increased risk of reinfection compared to other highly transmissible variants. This surely means that people who contracted Covid-19 and recovered could be again subject to catching the Coronavirus again and developing symptoms. This variant also appears to be more infectious leading to a much rapid spread globally.

The good news is that all variants can be detected with available Covid-19 detection tests. Both the rapid antigen and polymerase chain reaction tests will detect the omicron variant. However, the World Health Organization says it poses a “very high” risk due to concerns about transmissibility, immune system evasion and vaccine resistance. Studies have shown that the available Covid-19 vaccines are effective against both the Alpha and Delta variants, but scientists are still conducting studies to see how effective vaccines are against the Omicron variant. The vaccine manufacturers mobilized hundreds of health workers early morning on Thanksgiving holiday, to study Omicron and to keep it under control before it starts a new wave of Covid-19, leading to restricted travelling and socializing, for celebrating the holidays together with friends and family!