Read on to see what the variant's timeline looks like. Frequent handwashing is one of the best ways you can prevent possible transmission of the coronavirus from surfaces to your skin. In that way, the illness may act more like bronchitis than pneumonia, said Dr. Hugh Cassiere, the director of critical care services for Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital at North Shore University Hospital on Long Island, New York. The ZOE Covid study estimates that about 2.5 million people in the UK currently have symptomatic Covid-19. If soap and water are unavailable, use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol, and then wash your hands as soon as you can. Overall, researchers found the original variant had the shortest life span, while Omicron survived the longest. Zach is a freelance writer specializing in beer, wine, food, spirits, and travel. Researchers also investigated the ability of the same variants to stay on human skin. As with previous variants, Omicron has proven to be different in how it affects people in terms of the symptoms that it causes. Beta: 19.1 hours. The most common early symptoms are a runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing and a . It was a clue that perhaps the microbe had multiplied inside of people so briskly that rapid-test results had rapidly been rendered obsolete. The study, published for early release for the. If you display Covid symptoms you should self-isolate and order a test. Here are all known COVID-19 symptoms associated with the current Omicron subvariant wave, according to the CDC: Cough Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing Fever or chills Fatigue or body. Read: Coronavirus variants have nowhere to hide, The variants fleet-footedness is likely to have big ripple effects in clinical settings too. var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest(); The following is the amount of time other variants were found to last on skin: The data suggests that Omicron is the most transmissible coronavirus variant on the skin, followed by Alpha and Beta, then Delta and Gamma. If, as some scientists suspect, this variant is so primed to xerox itself more quickly inside usincluding, it seems, in many people with at least some immunitythat leaves punishingly little time in which to detect the virus, intervene with antivirals, and hamper its spread. That fact, married with Omicrons probable pace, means were not going to catch everybody who has it, Nuzzo said. It can be confusing to know what to expect if you get Covid-19. This was the longest survival time compared with previous variants: Such data suggests that Omicron lives the longest on plastic, with Alpha coming in as a close second. Continue to self-isolate until you get your result. Most people with Covid-19 will feel start to better within a few days, with symptoms typically not lingering for more than a couple of weeks. Omicron soon began branching off into a number of subvariants: BA.2 took off in the spring, and BA.5 came to dominate towards the end of the summer. Read: Omicrons explosive growth is a warning sign. After infiltrating our bodies, the virus would typically brew for about five or six days before symptoms kicked in. This article. Sara G. Miller is the health editor for NBC News, Health & Medical Unit. Heres what you need to know about how long Omicron lasts, and when you are most infectious. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, advised that anyone who has been in contact with an infected person get tested about 72 hours after the exposure. If you use a home test and get a negative result, you should continue taking precautions and test again 24 to 48 hours later, Dr. Gordon said. While the aforementioned study is helpful when comparing Omicrons longevity on surfaces with previous coronavirus variants, researchers also explain the limitations of their findings. Reynolds Lewis is a producer with the NBC News Health & Medical Unit. Another possible factor in decreased severity is increased prior immunity. All rights reserved. Omicron Covid variant symptoms. Ji S, et al. There are other symptoms that are uncommon. It is very odd when we are supposed to be trying to curb the spread of this virus. The average patient will experience symptoms for about five days, Morris said. Gamma: 11 hours. Heres what experts have to say about the infection symptoms caused by the latest omicron subvariants. This is the same timeframe observed during the Delta wave, but slightly shorter than the two week endurance of the initial COVID-19 strain. Since the World Health Organization designated Omicron as a variant of concern at the end of November, the virus seems to have popped up just about everywhere. How long do Omicron symptoms last? But how long do omicron variant symptoms last?. Part of the decrease in severity may be because the virus tends not to burrow deeply into the lungs as much as previous variants, but remains higher up in the respiratory tract, experts say. You won't be able to buy this item in stores or online. Those symptoms can include congestion, sore throat and changes in taste and smell. It has since swept the globe, eventually vanquishing other variants including delta. And theyre finding it at office holiday parties, like the one at a restaurant in Oslo, Norway, where about 80 people may have caught or transmitted Omicron. He is based in Manhattan. Doctors urge people who have any cold symptoms or flu-like symptoms to get tested. The faster that happens, the more quickly the virus can spill out of one person and into the next. Delta: 16.8 hours. Those are the patients that are more likely to be admitted to the hospital.". People with post-COVID conditions can have a wide range of symptoms that can last weeks, months, or even years after infection. One study found that Omicron symptoms could last anywhere from a few days to a week. During the first omicron wave, some experts said the variant could lead to long Covid, even with mild cases. Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone. You can order them here. This would be a good New Year's to spend at home. Patients with long-term symptoms can experience crushing fatigue, irregular heart rhythms and other issues months after their initial Covid infections. However, until more research is done, its not clear whether theres a direct correlation between an increased number of COVID-19 cases and Omicrons environmental stability on surfaces. If you dont have access to one or even if you do, and it comes back negative while youre feeling unwell, its sensible to stay away from others if you can.. The period between days 5 and 10 is critical when you have Covid-19 because some people may experience a turn for the worse right around then. If you have any concerns about the accuracy of our content, please reach out to our editors by e-mailing This means that even if people were vaccinated against COVID-19, they can still contract the Omicron variant. More troubling, nearly every person who reported catching Omicron said that they were vaccinated, and had received a negative antigen-test result sometime in the two days prior to the party. The Zoe study reports that a headache tends to come on at the start of the infection, and last around three to five days. Vaccination status, health history, age and lifestyle could all play a role in the duration and severity . But since the pandemic began, health authorities have emphasized a few . However, people are less likely to be able to identify some of these other symptoms as possible Covid symptoms, said Dr Williams. Covid-19 has mutated many times since it first appeared back in 2019, and currently the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of Omicron are dominant in the UK. Studies suggest that Omicron infections can last in the body for up to 10 days. van Doremalen N, et al. Lots of sore throat. Fortunately, while research now shows that the virus is less likely to cause severe illness in those who are fully vaccinated or boosted, it's still found to cause breakthrough infections with mild symptoms at a higher rate than previous variants. But Omicrons speed is a sharp reminder of humanitys own sluggishness during this pandemic. (2020). In early 2022, Omicron quickly became the dominant coronavirus variant due to its rapid spread. Most people with Covid-19 will feel start to better within a few days, with symptoms typically not lingering for more than a couple of weeks. The data collected on Omicron by the ZOE COVID Symptom study indicates that the virus is less severe than the other COVID-19 variants. To do this, check the label of your disinfecting wipes or spray. Nailing the incubation interval really is tough. iStock Some of the earliest information on the duration of the virus comes from a study that looked at one of the first recorded Omicron superspreader events at a holiday party in Norway on Nov. 30. That could be especially problematic for doling out the much-anticipated antiviral pills to treat COVID, which need to be taken very early in the course of illness to effectively halt the progression of disease. This may help reduce the likelihood of getting sick from contaminated surfaces you may have previously touched. 0:41. In particular, you should avoid being in close contact with people at higher risk from coronavirus, for example if they are elderly or have a weakened immune system, even if they have had the vaccine. Fantini J, et al. After a week, a small subset of people might take a turn for the worse despite feeling like their symptoms were clearing up. However, the incubation period for Omicron is believed to be much shorter between three and five days. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Theyre also looking into possible transmission from surfaces. That makes it harder to catch with the tests we have. However, it appears to stay on surfaces longer than the other virus variants. As a result, people who are experiencing cold-like symptoms are dismissing them and waiting for signs such as a fever, loss of smell and a cough which are the ones highlighted in all the messaging before thinking they may have Covid. IE 11 is not supported. Omicron Variant Symptoms: Latest COVID 'Making People Really Sick in a Different Way' Symptoms of omicron variant COVID-19 are different than past waves of the pandemic, but hospitals across the . The Covid advice differs depending on where you live in the UK. Like previous coronavirus variants, BA.2 and newer versions can be wildly unpredictable in their timeline and range of symptoms. If Omicron has a shorter incubation period, thats going to wreak havoc on how we test for it and deal with it, Omai Garner, a clinical microbiologist in the UCLA Health system, told me.