Coronavirus One in three can get sick during the winter – this is how the disease caused by the micron transformation is different

If omicron transformation is spreading according to pandemic models, up to a third of Finns may become infected with corona during January – February. This is the opinion of the chief physician of infectious diseases of the Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital districts Asko Järvinen.

The reason for the pace is the omicron variant that has become the main transformation of the coronavirus, infecting the people at an unprecedented rate.

Omicron conversion differs in many ways from previous versions of the coronavirus. How does it feel to be sick?

One story is told by an oral hygienist from Helsinki Pirjetta Sinkkonen, which was one of the first known patients with omicron in Finland.

Single was exposed to the virus at his workplace in Porolahti dental clinic on Wednesday, December 8th. The source of exposure was a co-worker.

“We ate a quick lunch together. We were at the same table without masks for only 15 minutes, but that was enough, ”says Sinkkonen.

More effective infectivity is the clearest difference between the omicron transformation and previous virus variants. There are at least two reasons for this.

First, the germination time of the virus is short, meaning it makes people sick faster. This is probably due to the fact that the omicron transformation in the upper respiratory tract increases more efficiently than the previous variants.

Second, the omicron transformation effectively infects specifically the upper respiratory tract, such as the pharynx and nasal cavities. In them, the virus produces copies of itself. As you breathe, these copies spread to the environment to infect those nearby.

Fast germination took place at Sinkkonen. Symptoms began abruptly about two days after exposure, at noon on Friday, December 10th.

“It was still good in the morning and I went to work. Shortly after coming to work, I was called and ordered to quarantine my home. At noon, I started to feel worse. ”

Symptoms included headache, fever, sore throat, and growl. When he got home, Sinkkonen mostly rested in bed with his dogs.

At the beginning of the pandemic, nasal congestion and sore throat were not among the most typical symptoms of coronary heart disease. Now it is the opposite. Gout is due to an infection of the upper respiratory tract. Continuous dry cough and loss of sense of smell and taste, which were initially the most common corona symptoms, are now less commonly associated with the disease.

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At the beginning of the pandemic, nasal congestion and sore throat were not among the most typical symptoms of coronary heart disease. Now it is the opposite.

MICROCONVERSION is also able to pass past vaccines due to the transformation. While the protection of the two doses of vaccine against the previous delta variant was about 64% of the vaccine six months later, it was only 33% against the omicron variant. In a study in Britain. However, protection against serious disease appears to be well maintained, with a third dose further strengthening the protection.

Sinkkonen had been vaccinated twice at the time of infection. He nevertheless fell ill but mildly.

“For example, I never needed a painkiller. I got the dogs out all by myself. ”

Coronary heart disease in severe form the disease usually severely damages the lungs. In the light of several studies it appears that omicron differs significantly less from previous transformations from the upper respiratory tract to the lungs.

Increased infection rates have not increased the number of patients with severe infections or requiring hospitalization in the same proportion as before. Made in Britain according to the analysis the disease, which is caused by a micro-infection, would appear to require 50-70% less need for hospital treatment than that caused by previous transformations.

It is still unclear to what extent the difference is due to vaccine protection or to the fact that so far the disease has progressed mainly in the working age and younger age groups. Järvinen considers the role of vaccines to be central.

“With the efficiency of omicron transformation, a contagious virus is in many ways the worst possible pandemic. The happiness of the accident is that it only came after the risk groups and most of the others had been vaccinated. ”

Read more: Omicron transformation did not damage the lungs in animal experiments as often as delta transformation – Professor considers it a relieving sign

Saturday, only after a day of illness, most of Sinkkonen’s symptoms began to subside. Fever, sore throat and headache disappeared. The grunt continued until Tuesday.

“I would estimate that the disease was milder for me than the typical flu. I usually get the flu a few times a year, which has taken me to bed for about a week. Now I felt good the other day. ”

So Sinkkonen’s illness was not strange, but it is good to remember that at the age of 52, he is not at risk because of his age and does not have basic diseases that predispose him to a dangerous form of the disease.

Although the omicron transformation appears to cause the severe form of the disease less frequently than previous variants, the number of serious cases also increases as infections increase.

Single lives alone and did not know to infect anyone. The boy’s agreed visit to the mother was canceled.

Avoidance of infections is also important to alleviate the peak of the disease. In addition to Friday, Sinkkonen was absent from work all week until the beginning of his holiday. More than 50 patients were left untreated due to his illness alone when the entire small dental clinic had to be closed for three days.

The maintenance of basic services is already becoming more difficult in the Helsinki metropolitan area due to illness. The more sick at the same time, the more challenging the functioning of society becomes.

The omicron transformation is now spreading at such a rate that Järvinen estimates that the peak of the disease will occur already in January.

“This, of course, depends on the effectiveness of the vaccines, vaccine coverage and containment,” he points out.

Read more: Hus’s emergency phone crowded with coronary patients – Expert tells you what symptoms to go to the doctor and what to get at home in advance