Study of Christmas Party Omicron Outbreak Reveals 3 Symptoms Specific to The New COVID-19 Variant

Study of Christmas Party Omicron Outbreak Reveals 3 Symptoms Specific to The New COVID-19 Variant
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For a while now, there was no known distinction between the omicron variant and other variants of the COVID-19 virus as far as symptoms are concerned. However, a new study has now revealed three symptoms that seem specific to this new strain.

At the same time, however, these symptoms may sound familiar and that is because they are since they surfaced back when the pandemic first started about two years ago.

More precisely, they are the loss of taste, muscle aches and a decline in the sense of smell.

Of course, these are quite common with other strains as well but the study based on a Christmas party outbreak shows that no less than 58 percent of patients reported experiencing muscle aches.

Furthermore, 23 percent of them experienced reduced taste while 12 percent said they experienced reduced smell.

The study involved 111 cases of probable and confirmed Omicron, all guests at the same Christmas party in Norway.

They had an average age of 39 years and the most common symptoms they reported in a survey, (ordered by most to least common) were:

–       Coughing, 83 percent,

–       Stuffy or runny nose, 78 percent,

–       Fatigue, 74 percent,

–       Headache, 68 percent.

Similarly, the top 5 symptoms mentioned in a ZOE study from the United Kingdom, involving thousands of reports uploaded to the app by the public, were:

–       A runny nose,

–       Headaches,

–       Mild or severe fatigue,

–       Sneezing,

–       Sore throat.

The same study also learned that some of the Omicron patients also experienced nausea and a loss of appetite in addition to brain fog.

COVID patients, regardless of variant, have reported a wide range of symptoms during infection, ranging from really mild ones to actually concerning, severe ones.

Furthermore, it appears that symptoms can appear between 2 and 14 days after getting exposed to the virus, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Speaking of, the CDC has listed a total of 11 main symptoms most people infected with COVID can experience and they are:

–       coughing,

–       chills and/or fever,

–       difficulty breathing or shortness of breath,

–       body or muscle aches,

–       fatigue,

–       loss of smell and/or taste,

–       sore throat,

–       headaches,

–       runny nose or congestion,

–       nausea or vomiting,

–       diarrhea.


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Katherine is just getting her start as a journalist. She attended a technical school while still in high school where she learned a variety of skills, from photography to nutrition. Her enthusiasm for both natural and human sciences is real so she particularly enjoys covering topics on medicine and the environment.

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