New study shows Omicron lasts 3 days less than Delta in individual vaccinated with booster dose

With the risk of a new Covid-19 wave, it is advisable to take the required precautions. According to a study released on Friday, people who have been vaccinated and received a booster dose against Covid-19 recover from symptoms caused by the Omicron type more than three days sooner than those who have the Delta type. The study also discovered that patients with Omicron have a lower risk of losing their sense of smell, reflecting earlier findings that it is milder.

Researchers chose a free smartphone app called ZOE to collect data on over 63,000 vaccinated people in the United Kingdom aged 16 to 99 who self-reported their Covid signs between June 2021 and January 2022 to determine the changes in how Omicron and Delta made people sick. Omicron signs lasted 4.4 days for individuals who received two vaccine doses and a booster, compared to 7.7 days for those who received Delta, a difference of 3.3 days.

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According to the research reported in the Lancet medical journal, people who had both doses and no booster shot observed Omicron symptoms disappear up in 8.3 days, compared to 9.6 days for Delta. The researchers mentioned that the faster recovery shows "that the period of infectiousness might be shorter, which would in turn impact workplace health policies and public health guidance."

The research, which will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Lisbon later this month, also discovered that only 17% of people with Omicron lost their smelling senses, in comparison to 53% of others with Delta. People with Omicron, on the other hand, had a 55 percent higher chance of having a sore throat and a 24 percent higher chance of developing a scratchy voice. Patients who took Omicron were also 25% less likely to be taken to the hospital, according to the study.

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According to study author Cristina Menni of King's College London, it was the first group paper with a significant number of participants that studied the distinct symptoms of the two variations. "Recent data from the app show no change in symptoms in BA.2 compared to BA.1," she told AFP, adding that the study covers a period before the Omicron BA.2 type spread around the world.