Intense Night Sweats To Continuous Sneezing, New Symptoms of Omicron BA.5 Sub-Variant Revealed

Experts have also said that just like the other variants in the Omicron lineage, BA.5 also seems to mainly target the upper respiratory tract, causing severe problems in the throat and nose.

Omicron BA.5 sub-variant is spreading rapidly across the states in India. Currently, the experts are suggesting that the BA.5 variant of the Omicron strain is slowly going to dominate the other variants and is also the reason behind the current surge in cases across the country. Talking about new variants also brings in the topic of the symptoms. Each variant of COVID has its own significant symptoms.

In a recent study, leading UK immunologists have cautioned that night sweats could be causing a new symptom among patients with Omicron's sub-variant BA.5. Issuing a fresh warning against the severe symptoms of the Omicron variant, Luke O'Neill, Professor of biochemistry at Trinity College in Ireland said that people who are getting infected by the BA.5 variant may find it difficult to sleep due to intense night sweats. "The night sweats can be so bad that it sodden the night clothes and bedding," O'Neill was quoted as saying. Calling the unusual symptom "another curveball", the immunologist said that it is a result of BA.5 colliding with immune systems resulting in a "different disease".

"The disease is slightly different because the virus has changed," O'Neill said. He further added, "There is some immunity to it -- obviously with the T-cells and so on -- and that mix of your immune system and the virus being slightly different might give rise to a slightly different disease, strangely enough, night sweats being a feature.

Unique Symptoms of BA.5 Omicron Variant

Some of the unusual symptoms of BA.5 Omicron variant include:

1. Intense night sweats
2. Continuous sneezing
3. Runny nose
4. Fever accompanied by chills
5. Body ache or muscle cramps
6. Persistent cough
7. Sore throat
8. Gastrointestinal issues

Experts have also said that just like the other variants in the Omicron lineage, BA.5 also seems to mainly target the upper respiratory tract, causing severe problems in the throat and nose. Currently, the BA.5 variant of Omicron is the dominant strain in the United States, accounting for about 53 per cent of the total cases of infection in the country.

(With inputs from agencies)