Data collected on Omicron so far has shown that symptoms of this variant are mild but differ from previous Covid-19 strains like Delta.
The variant, which first appeared in South Africa before spreading rapidly around the world, has been found to produce symptoms that don’t match the classic three symptoms of coronavirus - fever, a new or persistent cough and loss of sense of smell/taste.
Covid expert Dr Charu Dutt Arora explained that people initially believed Covid to mainly be a respiratory virus, affecting only the lungs. She said studies have proved muscle pain is actually one of the commonly reported signs of Omicron.
The pain is thought to be concentrated in three different parts of the body. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
What are the three muscle pain symptoms of Omicron?
People infected with Omicron reportedly experience muscle pains in three different body parts: the head, lower back and muscles.
Dr Arora added: "The muscle pain is mainly around the knee area."
Covid-induced muscle pain is believed to be the result of inflammation. This inflammation can agitate the muscles and joints, which leads to the onset of painful symptoms, according to the Huffington Post.
The news outlet also claimed that doctors suspect there may be something unique to Omicron about the way it affects the musculoskeletal system.
Peter Whang, Yale Medicine orthopaedic spine surgeon and associate professor at Yale University School of Medicine, explained: "Covid is what we call a bad player. It can really mimic so many types of symptoms - whether it’s affecting the pulmonary system or the musculoskeletal system or your health."
Covid infection is thought to increase cytokine secretion, which boosts the immune system to fight off foreign pathogens. The release of cytokines then triggers a reaction in the body that irritates the muscles and joints.
What are most common symptoms of Omicron?
Several studies have claimed that the most common symptoms of Omicron include a runny nose, headache and fatigue. The ZOE Covid Study also confirmed that a dry/scratchy throat was another common sign of infection.
However, fully vaccinated people have been found to experience nine different symptoms of the variant.
According to a study from Norway, people who have received two doses of a Covid vaccine have reported cough, runny nose, fatigue, sore throat, headache, fever, sneezing and nausea after being infected with Omicron.
Of these, the study reported that the most common signs of infection among vaccinated people were cough, runny nose and fatigue.
