Omicron: Unexpected pain being reported as a common symptom

The list of new and surprising side effects that are being experienced upon infection by the Omicron variant has been getting longer by the day. And with the new coronavirus strain parading around as a common cold, it has become even more crucial to be aware of the possible side effects that are being observed by professionals.

Back pain

The latest symptom that is being increasingly reported, as per medics in South Africa, is a rather unexpected one—back pain.

After looking into 78,000 cases, Discover Health, South Africa’s largest private health insurer, has officially listed myalgia as a common symptom. The Telegraph reported that Ryan Noach, chief executive of Discovery Health, specifically mentioned lower back pain as one of the side effects.

Early signs of infection

According to Noach, the early signs of infection include a scratchy throat, followed by nasal congestion, dry cough, and then pain in the lower back area.

It is completely different when compared to the most common symptoms officially listed out by several health authorities, including the NHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). With earlier forms of the coronavirus, patients were most often experiencing high fever, continuous cough, and a loss of taste and smell.

While there is still much that is known about this highly contagious variant, experts are certain that the symptoms seem to be different to that of the Delta variant. Sir John Bell, Regius Chair of Medicine at the University of Oxford told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:

I think one of the things we do know is that clinical syndrome is rather different.

That is, the symptoms people get from this particular virus are different to the previous variants.