London experience of Omicron
As Omicron takes hold in London we are hearing more and more reports of an increase in severity: especially in young people, with crushing chest pains and shortness of breath reportedly much more frequently in the young with no underlying conditions.
Last Saturday (11 December) 20 adults, comprising of 10 separate households went for a meal to celebrate Xmas in a swanky London restaurant: all vaccinated, and all had taken lateral flow tests beforehand: testing negative.
The following day another get-together was held where the families also brought their kids and grandparents at a family home reported.
On Monday one of the group started feeling ill, but believed it to be a hangover. However, the symptoms persisted and they tested positive for Covid: the whole family now has it as do all who attended the gatherings: the age ranges are 6 months-80 years old.
All children who attended and are linked to the adults: 5 children under 5 are reported to be suffering from much more severe disease than Delta: being bedbound with a range of symptoms:
fever, cough, muscle aches, severe fatigue, etc. Some of the kids are also reported to have 'prickly heat' style spots on their feet.
The most severely affected of the group, however, so far, are the parents and those aged 30-45.
Despite being early on in the infection course they are already suffering crushing chest pain, shortness of breath, described...
as if it 'feels like someone is sitting on their chest and they can’t fill lungs with air properly.'
Everybody has reported that symptoms started with a crushing headache. Fever that is leading to waking up drenched in sweat, muscle aches, coughing, a scratchy throat are all reported as well.
Loss of smell and taste is, as well as gastro symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness, and complete loss of appetite/inability to stomach food.
33% of the group had been previously infected: all were reinfected and are having more severe symptoms than with other variants. South Africa has reported that reinfections are extremely high with Omicron: with those most recently infected most likely to be reinfected.
4 members of the group are elderly: so far they report the least severe symptoms so far. Very similar to what the SA has indicated so far
Today we learned that people are progressing to the more severe disease stage earlier with Omicron than with Delta and other previous variants.
However, in under 5s SA reports the opposite regarding the severe disease lag: with children who have severe disease typically coming to hospital 21-28 days after diagnosis, rather than day 8-9-10, etc.
It seems then that Omicron causes more severe disease more quickly in people who are in their 20s-40s.
But the lag is greater than normal for children. more