Severe headache could signal Omicron

Dr. Eranga Narangoda on what you should do if you are exposed to the virus

Two variants of concern – Omicron and Delta – and the experience at ground-level are what is placed on the table by a doctor who has been treating patients affected by COVID-19 since Sri Lanka had its first case in January 2020.

The number of people being affected by COVID-19 is rising rapidly but no increasing trend in hospitalization due to severe disease is being seen, said Consultant Physician Dr. Eranga Narangoda now attached to the Homagama Base Hospital. He was earlier at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Angoda.

On the current trend of infections, he says that there is asymptomatic (without symptoms) and also symptomatic disease, whereas earlier there was a lot of symptomatic disease during the Delta spread. This difference could also be because of vaccination. Even if patients do come with severe disease, the oxygen saturation issue settles in 3-4 days.

Dr. Narangoda then looks at the symptoms resulting from an infection of the two variants.

With Omicron, there seems to be not much fever in a majority of infections, unlike Delta. But some have headaches, often bad ones, which last 3-4 days. Some infected by Omicron, only have a headache. Omicron is also showing more respiratory symptoms such as a stuffy or runny nose, sore throat and mild cough.

If a person gets to know that he/ she has got exposed to someone who is infected, this Physician’s advice is:

Usually, the incubation period (the number of days between when a person is infected with the virus and when symptoms would be seen) is about 48 hours, which means that those who have got exposed may

manifest symptoms in 48 hours. Generally, symptoms seem to appear on Day 4 or 5 after initial exposure. By Day 10 after exposure, a person is unlikely to develop symptoms. Even if asymptomatic, the person who has got exposed to an infected person should isolate for 14 days, counting the days from the time of exposure. If asymptomatic, there is no need to get yourself tested, unless symptoms develop or unless you are part of essential services such as healthcare workers. Then you need to get tested on Day 10, either

with an RT-PCR or a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT). All others who are asymptomatic can resume work on Day 14 without testing.

If symptoms develop, there is a need to isolate yourself immediately, with or without exposure. After Day 14, counting from the first day of the manifestation of symptoms, you can resume your day-to-day life and also go back to work.

Referring to what is meant by

“significant exposure”, Dr. Narangoda says it is when a person has been exposed to a COVID-19 positive person and been in close proximity, within a metre distance; either one has not been wearing a face-mask and the exposure has lasted for more than 15 minutes.

When asked about reports of ‘positive’ people turning negative soon after, he said that this could occur due to contamination if a large number of samples are undergoing RT-PCR testing.

If just one among many is positive, that cannot be a false result but if several samples are positive, some of them could be false results due to contamination by the actual positive samples.

Another scenario is that a person who tests positive can show a negative result 2- 3 days later, as the infecting virus may have got cleared with the body fighting it off.