Last Updated on January 9, 2022 by Team THIP
Quick Take
Social media posts surfacing online state ‘All data released so far suggests Omicron is a common cold.’ We fact checked and found this claim to be False.
The Claim
‘All data released so far suggests Omicron is a common cold’’ says several social media posts. The posts can be found here, here and a screenshot is attached below.
Another post says ‘So basically they’ve taken the common cold and renamed it Omicron.’ The post can be found here. One of the posts even states that ‘Omicron is a variant of the common cold.’ The post can be found here.
Fact Check
What are the symptoms of Omicron?
The Becker’s Healthcare review states that the four most common symptoms of the omicron variant are cough, fatigue, congestion and runny nose, according to a CDC analysis of the first 43 cases investigated in the U.S.
People with COVID-19 can report a wide range of symptoms, with cough and loss of smell emerging as two frequent indicators of the virus. The CDC noted characteristics of the cases described in its analysis may not be generalizable, as the findings might be associated with individual characteristics.
Is Omicron same as Common cold?
No. Omicron variant of Coronavirus is not same as common cold.
Common Cold and Covid-19, both are caused by different viruses. Common cold is mostly caused by Rhinovirus while the latter is caused by Coronavirus.
The common cold is usually mild, lasts between 1-2 weeks and includes a sore throat followed by runny nose and congestion, and finally a cough. The virus that causes COVID-19 is called SARS-CoV-2, which is a new, specific strain of the coronavirus, as opposed to other existing strains of the coronavirus family which can cause a common cold.
Can Omicron lead to serious health issues?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that COVID-19, results in symptoms including difficulty breathing, fever and a dry cough. Some patients develop pneumonia and require hospitalization. If the pneumonia becomes more severe, it may be fatal.
Common human coronaviruses can also cause common cold in people, but these are not considered as dangerous as the coronaviruses that turned into severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in 2002, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012 and now Covid-19.Common cold might be a symptom of Omicron, but the causative agent of both are different. Omicron is a variant of Coronavirus which can even lead to fatality . Hence, the claim is false. Even though worldwide research is going on regarding Omicron, preventive measures should be taken to stay safe from Coronavirus and its variants.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned people against perceiving Omicron as a ‘mild’ variant.
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