Omicron 5, symptoms and infections. The variant scares: “Possible summer peak in Italy”

Bologna, 15 June 2022 – Contagions from Omicron 5, the latest and worrying variant of Covid-19, continue to rise abroad. So much so that the alert continues to grow even in Italy, with experts warning on the hypothesis of a summer peak and a possible resurgence of the health emergency in autumn. And while Emilia Romagna and Marche have seen a pandemic situation substantially stable for weeks, scientists immediately get a cold shower: Omicron 5 is on the rise. The variant remains the undisputed protagonist of the current phase of the pandemic, since almost all the sequences reported to the Gisaid database in the last 30 days belong to its ‘family’, with Omicron 2 (BA.2 and its descendants) remaining dominant, but declining, while ‘sisters’ 4 and 5 are increasing in prevalence. According to the latest WHO survey, Omicron5 has been detected in 53 countries and has reached a prevalence of 28%, which can largely be attributed to a initial rapid increase in the region of the Americas. Omicron 4 and 5, the difference with the other Covid variants Omicron 5, symptoms and transmissibility Omicron 5 would seem to enter better into the cells of the nose and mouth, but reaching less deep into the body, to the advantage of greater transmissibility. Omicron 4 and 5 also seem to resist more in outdoor environments and in particular on surfaces, where traces can be found even after 48 hours, while the previous versions disappeared in less than a day. Symptoms are: sore throat, runny nose, fatigue, but also abdominal pain, and much less frequently, cough. Symptoms that make us worry less about those who are healthy, but that still put the elderly at risk. Omicron 4 and 5: symptoms, contagiousness and spread of Covid variants The situation in Italy Also in Italy, despite the restrictions being loosened and the picture that emerges …