COVID-19 Resurgence: New Variants Spread, Watch for Evolving Symptoms

COVID-19 Returns: Why It’s Spreading Again and New Symptoms Emerging

After a period of calm from relative standstill, COVID-19 witnessed a sudden resurgence in many parts of the world, including a low but consistent rise in cases from some Asian countries. The newer third wave that has descended on all nations became milder in severity than previous ones caused by Omicron. It was, therefore, essential to understand why this resurgence is taking place and what new symptoms to observe for.

What Is Causing Another Wave of COVID-19?

The evening upswing can be attributed to the following reasons:
* Waning Immunity: Immunity wanes over the time, be it the one resulting from a previous infection or from a vaccine. Most of them who took the vaccination in the early days of the pandemic may have not gotten their booster shots recently, reducing their overall protection from reinfection.

* Emergence of New Variants: The SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to mutate over time, with newer variants and sub-variants coming up. In most cases, new variants would be more transmissible with better ability to evade immune defenses. Currently, sub-variants LF.7, XFG, JN.1, and NB.1.8.1 are circulating in different parts of the world, with NB.1.8.1 being declared a Variant Under Monitoring by the WHO due to its rising prevalence.

New Signs to Be Aware Of-

While the core symptoms of COVID-19 have remained relatively stable, how they present could be a little different with newer variants. For instance, there are cases where loss of the taste/smell is not a prevalent symptom. These cases more often resemble an upper tract infection or gastrointestinal symptoms.

As such, here is a list of current and evolving symptoms:
• Common respiratory symptoms
* low-grade fever or chills (often persistent, but not too high)
* Mild sore throat (scratches to moderately painful)
* Nasal congestion or runny nose
* Occasional dry cough (generally not severe, but could linger)
* Fatigue and mild headaches
* Muscle aches/body aches
• Gastrointestinal symptoms
* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Loose stool or diarrhea
* Loss of appetite

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Increased Travel and Fewer Public Health Measures:

As travel continues globally, and public health recommendations are lifted around the world, the virus has every opportunity to cross borders. People in communities are also generally relaxing public health measures, such as wearing masks and social distancing, which also contributes to the increased transmission.

• Misleading Symptoms: The COVID-19 symptoms, especially the newer viruses, have a large overlap with other prevalent respiratory viruses, such as influenza and seasonal allergy symptoms. This can lead to delays in diagnosis and isolation. Moreover, because common influenza viruses are more flu like than cold like, people can be misled into not seeking proper medical care.

Signs You Should See a Doctor-

Although most infections are nothing serious and can be treated at home, some signs require you to see a doctor right away.
When there is a high fever (102°F or higher) that stays for more than 3 days.
* People may have trouble breathing, or the feeling of chest pain or tightness.
* If a person feels more and more tired or confused.
The pulse oximeter regularly shows that oxygen saturation is lower than 94%.
* Changes for the worse in health conditions that the patient already had.

All in all, the problem caused by COVID-19 is still significant because the virus keeps changing and immunity is usually only short-lived. Since the sickness is less severe for many, everyone should keep using masks, washing their hands, staying updated on immunizations, and watching out for changes to prevent the virus from occurring in more people.

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