David Cutler, a family medicine physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, the severity of each infection depends on viral factors - such as the viral load and which variant the person was exposed to - and host factors, such as whether a person has immunity or underlying health conditions. Why might some people get milder symptoms?Īccording to Dr. Jose Mayorga, executive director of the UCI Health Family Health Centers and assistant clinical professor of the Department of Family Medicine at UCI School of Medicine. “At this stage of the pandemic, the underreporting is likely due to multiple factors: at-home testing kits which go unreported not seeking out testing because the wait time for results can be days, or not seeking out testing because you don’t have the original constellation of COVID-19 symptoms,” says Dr. With Omicron, a variant that is believed to be less virulent than previous variants like Delta and Alpha, combined with the protection provided by the vaccines, the percentage of cases that are mild is thought to be even higher.īecause so many people are taking at-home rapid tests, which are not recognized in official case counts, it’s difficult to know precisely how many COVID-19 infections end up being mild. It was like having a bad cold flu,” Mulligan told Healthline. Her condition lasted 8 days, and each day brought on new symptoms - a headache and vertigo, a deep cough, and finally, sinus pressure and congestion. By the evening, she had developed a 102-degree fever. Her illness began with a scratchy throat. She had attended a few work functions that week and later learned many colleagues had tested positive. Kathryn Mulligan, fully vaccinated and living in New York City, developed her breakthrough case on Dec. Otherwise, she felt fine and continued to work from home. Hooper lost only her taste and smell for 2 days before recovering. She took two rapid tests, both of which came back negative, and the group figured the friend didn’t have COVID-19 - it was OK for her to come along.īut a couple of days into the vacation, two others began to feel sick, and by the end of the weekend, seven of the nine women tested positive. One woman began to feel mildly ill a few days before the holiday weekend. She had spent Thanksgiving weekend with nine friends - all of whom, including Hooper, were fully vaccinated. Tess Hooper, 31, of Los Angeles, tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. Many believe the severity of infection depends on multiple contributing factors, including whether the person has been vaccinated and received a booster shot, the variant they were exposed to, how much virus they inhaled, their overall health, and how their immune system responded to the virus. Scientists are still uncovering why symptoms vary from person to person. While earlier variants, like Delta, frequently caused a loss of taste and smell, sore throat, and coughing, cases during the Omicron wave have been linked to more upper respiratory symptoms, such as runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing, and sore throat. Some people may even be bedridden with a fever for a week or longer. When doctors talk about mild COVID-19, they refer to an illness that is symptomatic but does not require hospitalization.īut the illnesses encompassed in the “mild” category can mean many symptoms, including headache, congestion, or a loss of taste and smell.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |