World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently issued his most optimistic outlook on the pandemic that has killed 6.5 million people. “We are not there yet. But the end is in sight,” he said.
In the US, President Joe Biden declared the pandemic over even as the number of Americans who died from Covid continues to rise. As of September,statistics show that over 400 Americans on average are dying from the virus each day. “We’re still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over,” Biden said.
Recent developments paint the real picture. Covid cases are currently rising across some European countries. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said last week that 15 countries in the region are reporting increasing cases. The agency said it’s the first spike in Covid cases across the region since the most recent wave caused by the Omicron BA.5 sub-variant began.
In the UK, where more than 1.1 million people tested positive for Covid in the week ending September 20, experts have warned people not to be blind to new waves of infection that have the potential to be devastating. What is causing the flareup is not clear, but a health expert say that the government’s guidelines on Covid symptoms are wrong, which could mean those carrying the virus are unknowingly spreading the disease.
Professor Tim Spector, founder of the Covid Zoe app, said Covid symptoms are changing, and these symptoms may not be recognized as Covid-19. For example, he warned that fatigue in the morning, even after a good night’s sleep, and a sore throat might be signs of infection.
“Many people are still using the government guidelines about symptoms which are wrong,” Spector told The Independent. “At the moment, Covid starts in two-thirds of people with a sore throat. Fever and loss of smell are really rare now—so many old people may not think they’ve got Covid. They’d say it’s a cold and not be tested.” Spector said the next wave of the virus is already in the UK, adding that variants of Omicron are becoming immune-evasive and could cause England “real problems” by winter.
Spector said Covid symptoms after two vaccinations include: Runny nose, headache, sneezing, sore throat, and persistent cough. The previous “traditional” symptoms as still outlined on the government web site, such as anosmia (loss of smell), shortness of breath and fever rank way down Spector’s list.
“Curiously, we noticed that people who had been vaccinated and then tested positive for Covid-19 were more likely to report sneezing as a symptom compared with those without a jab. If you’ve been vaccinated and start sneezing a lot without an explanation, you should get a Covid test, especially if you are living or working around people who are at greater risk from the disease,” he said.
In the Philippines, the daily average of Covid-19 cases went down by 10 percent from September 26 to October 2, according to the Department of Health. Experts, however, said people still need to be cautious because the infectious Omicron sub-variant is still very much around. In August, the DOH reported 1,011 cases of the Omicron BA.5 sub-variant.
The government has allowed the voluntary wearing of face masks in outdoor settings. But medical experts opposed the easing of face mask requirement, saying that it would send a wrong message to the public that they “should not be afraid of Covid anymore.”
The WHO chief said the pandemic’s end is in sight; he did not say it has ended. As of October 2, 2022, global figures showed 615 million confirmed Covid cases and 6.5 million deaths. Having the Covid booster shots and taking appropriate precautions are still the best protection against the virus.
Jabbed people who fall sick with Covid will experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without special treatment. But, as the UK professor said, Covid symptoms are changing, and these symptoms may not be recognized as Covid. If you have a sore throat, it’s best to have yourself tested. Don’t run the risk of infecting the whole household by ignoring the new Covid symptoms.