Omicron Variant May Cause Pneumonia to Develop More Rapidly

The Omicron variant can cause pneumonia to develop more quickly than other strains. This opinion was expressed by virologist Alexander Semyonov from Russia.

According to him, when infected with the new variant, pneumonia may develop within just a few days. In previous phases of the pandemic, when infection occurred with other variants of the coronavirus, the time from infection to the onset of pneumonia took about 10-11 days. Now, this duration has shortened to approximately 3-5 days.

The expert noted that the new variant's ability to interact with the lung epithelium has improved, allowing the modified virus to “descend more rapidly into the lungs” and trigger inflammation.

Pneumonia can manifest with the following symptoms: cough with phlegm, traces of blood, fever, chills, chest pain that worsens with deep breaths or coughing, fatigue, a feeling of weakness, wheezing, and shortness of breath. A body temperature below normal can also be a potential sign of pneumonia. In some cases, nausea may occur. In elderly individuals, pneumonia may present with mental confusion and disorientation.