In the current scenario, only after accurate tests can one determine and differentiate between the common flu and COVID-19.” Adding to this, Dr Khilnani said diarrhoea might also be a symptom to test for COVID-19 in these new variant infections, but certainly not pneumonia.
So the symptoms which we witness are also very mild in terms of infections, like fever and throat pain etc with no pulmonary involvement, or hospitalisations. Commenting on the same, Dr Krishnan C said, “The current variant is almost close to the common flu. With the change in weather, COVID-19, the common cold, seasonal allergies and the flu have shown similar signs and symptoms.
Similarities between COVID-19 infection, seasonal infections As of now, there are no reports of this new variant in India.” Dr Khilnani also shared that with the ease of restrictions in travelling and other physical activities, there has been an increase in the spread of COVID-19 and Omicron variants among vulnerable individuals. The US cases are that of BA.2.12.1 which is 25 times more contagious. While few have developed a very callous and indifferent attitude towards covid-appropriate behaviour, there is also a group of people who fear infection due to the deaths and severity of the earlier waves in 20.ĭr GC Khilnani, Chairman, Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, PSRI, said, “What we are seeing now are variants of Omicron, which includes BA.1, BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5. Speaking to ETHealthWorld, Dr Anantha Krishnan C, Consultant, Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Prashanth Hospitals, Chennai, “We are passing from a pandemic stage to an endemic stage where COVID-19 will become one among the viral flus and there will be multiple spikes localised everywhere depending on the subset and the age of virus present.” The question of whether India should be worried about the upsurge is inevitable. Amidst the scare of the fourth wave in the country, 22 out of 36 states and union territories have seen an increase in COVID-19 infections.