Those infected with a subspecies of the omicron strain of the BA.2 coronavirus, known as “stealth omicron”, again began to experience a loss of smell. With omicron subspecies BA.1, this symptom was considered to have disappeared. Andrey Pozdnyakov, an infectious disease doctor, candidate of medical sciences, chief physician of the Invitro-Siberia clinical diagnostic laboratory, told Lente.ru about his return.
Along with the loss of smell, there is also a loss of taste, the physician noted. He clarified that the reasons for this phenomenon are unknown.
“What we call the “stealth omicron” proceeds very similar to the classic covid: fever, long-term continuous cough, sometimes shortness of breath,” the doctor added. At the same time, he emphasized that those who gain immunity against the omicron strain will receive protection from the “stealth omicron”, since these subspecies are “right next to each other.”
The virus, in fact, has gone through some kind of evolution and returned to where it started, but has become more contagious. And it is even more contagious than just omicron, which is not good.
Andrey Pozdnyakovinfectious disease physician
Pozdnyakov noted that the level of effect of “stealth omicron” on the body is still unknown, since it is distributed in countries where about 80 percent of the population has been ill or vaccinated. “This is not a typical sample to understand how pathogenic it is. To really assess the true severity, we must take both vaccinated and unvaccinated, ”the specialist explained.
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Earlier it became known that “stealth-omicron” was detected in at least 44 regions of Russia. According to the head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova, the vast majority of cases were registered in Moscow, the Republic of Mari El, the Rostov region, as well as in Bashkiria. According to a leading researcher at Lomonosov Moscow State University, virologist Maxim Skulachev, the new strain may become dominant in the country. At the same time, virologist Alexei Agranovsky, in an interview with Lenta.ru, noted that the new symptoms of the BA.2 subspecies of the omicron strain do not cause particular concern, but it needs to be further studied and observed.
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