Pilots Prevent
January 11, 2022
The number of positive tests, hospitalizations, and rapid-spread infections bear it out: the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is a game-changer in the ongoing battle against the pandemic. Though viewed as less dangerous overall than the earlier Delta variant, Omicron brings with it a higher level of challenges.
According to Dr. Andrew Lafrenz, UP Director of Integrative Health & Wellness and Associate Professor of Nursing, those challenges start with Omicron’s symptoms. “Differentiating symptoms between the common cold, flu, and coronavirus has always been part of the challenge,” he says. “But the Omicron variant is particularly good at presenting like the common cold. There is evidence that the Omicron variant tends to be more of an upper respiratory infection compared to previous variants that became lower respiratory infections.”
Omicron often results in symptoms such as a runny nose, stuffy nose, sore throat, fatigue, and headaches. “Fever, cough, shortness of breath, and loss of taste and smell continue to be symptoms in some individuals as well,” says Lafrenz. “At this point, it is important to take any of these overlapping symptoms seriously until completing a test for COVID-19.”
Another big challenge? Omicron is a lot easier to catch than previous variants. “The transmission dynamics for Omicron do look pretty different than other variants. It is very noticeably more contagious,” says Lafrenz. “On average, every Omicron case is being spread to three to five people. The most recent Omicron outbreaks I’ve investigated have been much larger than outbreaks from previous variants. It doesn’t take as much exposure with this variant to be infected. This variant tends to linger around in rooms longer as well, so air flow and masks are key. We are encouraging individuals to wear surgical masks or KN95 or N95, if available, instead of cloth masks.”
As the UP community returns from the Christmas holiday break and the spring semester begins, Lafrenz says there are steps that students, faculty, and staff can take as defensive postures against the spread of Omicron. “The good news is that all of the current prevention measures and strategies still work well with Omicron: getting your booster, mask wearing, physical distancing if possible, limiting large gatherings—particularly indoors—and staying away from others if any symptoms develop are still the best ways to prevent the spread of this current variant,” he says.
Omicron’s complexities aside, Lafrenz remains optimistic about our ability to meet the challenge—as long as we continue to adhere to COVID-19 protocols. “The Omicron variant is even more unforgiving with momentary lapses in our proven standard prevention measures. We are seeing more and more spread with only short exposures without masks and between asymptomatic individuals,” Lafrenz says. “Over the next few weeks, it is critical that we continue to be careful so that we can weather this latest surge.”
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