Is SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant causing different symptoms?

Abstract

Background: Since preliminary evidence suggests that the new SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant may cause different symptoms and trigger outbreaks associated with less severe illness compared to previous strains, we conducted and infodemic analysis to verify these suppositions.Methods: We searched Google Trends using the most frequent COVID-19 symptoms, with “United Kingdom” country option and search periods “20-26 December 2020” (predominance of Alpha variant) and “19-25 December 2021” (Omicron prevalence >80%).Results: Seven symptoms (i.e., conjunctivitis, chills, cough, aches, fever, nausea and sore throat) appeared to be more searched in 2021 compared to 2020 (i.e., >15% increase), five symptoms (i.e., anosmia, tiredness, ageusia, sneezing and shortness of breath) were found to be less searched in 2021 compared to 2020 (i.e., >15% decrease), whilst the number of Google searches for headache, diarrhea and runny nose were almost comparable between the two periods (i.e., <15% variation).Conclusion: Actual predominance of Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant in UK is associated with higher number of Google searches for mild symptoms (conjunctivitis, chills, cough, aches and fever), accompanied by considerable lower interest for a severe clinical sign like shortness of breath, which characterizes lower respiratory tract infection.

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant Causes an Unprecedented Surge in Children Hospitalizations and Distinct Clinical Presentation Compared to the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant

“…Along with the increased number of child hospitalizations, the symptoms observed at COVID-19 onset were somewhat different when subsequently infected by the omicron variant or by the delta and previous variants (12,(25)(26)(27)(28). In Italian children, an analysis of online search trends suggested increased upper respiratory airway symptoms and possibly poorly tolerated fever, whereas dyspnea and anosmia/ageusia seemed less frequent (25). The latter finding could also be an indicator of the younger age of infected children and their inability to report such symptoms.…”

Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 in Homeless People from Urban Shelters: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2023)

“…For instance, Chow et al [21], as well as one of the series from the report by McCulloch et al [20], included data from October 2019 to May 2021, while Rogers et al [44] reported on the whole of the winter season in 2019-2020. Nonetheless, even reports more clearly focused on either the pre-pandemic or pandemic timeframe, such as those by Ralli et al [109], Lindner et al [111], Morrone et al [110] and Rogers et al [114], were affected by the various and heterogenous timing of the removal of physical distancing and lockdown, which influenced the circulation of respiratory pathogens, as well as by the emergence of new and more infectious variants of SARS-CoV-2 [123,124].…”