The omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 could be causing patients to experience bizarre symptom that only happens at night. A doctor in the United Kingdom has claimed that the new variant of concern is causing several infected people to sweat profusely at night.
Telltale Symptoms
British physician Dr. Amir Khan, who works with the U.K.’s National Health Service, recently described a symptom that could be distinct for the omicron variant compared to other strains of COVID-19 and the common cold.
During an appearance on ITV’s “Lorraine,” Dr. Khan named the different symptoms he and his colleagues have observed among COVID-19 patients infected with the omicron variant. Among the five, one symptom stood out since it only manifests at night.
According to Dr. Khan, the telltale symptoms of omicron infection are scratchy throat, mild muscle aches, extreme fatigue, dry cough and night sweats. He noted that the night sweats patients experienced were the kind that would cause one to “get up and change your clothes.”
Profuse Sweating At Night
It wouldn’t be the first time experts observed profuse sweating at night among COVID-19 patients. Last December, a group of researchers also noted how 114 people from the 212 participants in a study reported “profuse sweating” while 102 of them reported experiencing “night sweats” while battling the virus.
The study was conducted before the omicron variant was first detected in South Africa last month. Moreover, the researchers in that study did not focus on uncovering what was causing the patients to experience night sweats. Instead, they sought to determine if the sweat of the patients was capable of transmitting the virus. After analyzing their data, they found that the bodily fluid was not infective.
Meanwhile, a different study published by the People’s Hospital of Guizhou University last year indicated that night sweats could be the first symptom of COVID-19 pneumonia. However, the scientific report was not supported by extensive evidence. There’s also a lack of further research to back what the authors wrote. Nevertheless, several medical experts have since acknowledged night sweats as one of the symptoms of COVID-19 infection.
Omicron Symptoms Screening
For Dr. Khan, observing the telltale symptoms of omicron is very important, so the general public could book PCR tests and get diagnosed with the condition. Diagnosing omicron infection would help track the overall situation, especially now that the newly emerged variant has become the dominant strain in many places, including the U.S.
“This is important, and it’s important that we keep on top of these symptoms. If we are going to track omicron and track it worldwide, we need to be able to test people with these symptoms,” Dr. Khan was quoted as saying by the New York Post. He added that there’s a need for a new NHS website to keep track of the omicron symptoms.
Compared to the delta variant, omicron is said to cause only the mild form of COVID-19. Dr. Angelique Coetzee, the South African doctor who first sounded the alarm on the newly emerged variant, said that most of the omicron patients presented “extremely mild symptoms” of the infection. The South African Medical Association chair added that most patients were unvaccinated.