The past president of the Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery, Evangelina Solerwarns that the new subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 have been shown to be more infectious than the subvariants of omicron previous.
According to Galena’s story, since before the Public Health authorities certify the circulation in the country of BA.4 and BA.5and she sensed the presence of these due to the change in the symptoms of her patients.
“From an epidemiological point of view, they are more infectious and contagious variants, with more aggressiveness compared to the omicron variant that we saw in December and January”, assured the doctor through the telephone.
The pulmonologist describes that the previous subvariants “basically generated a mild to moderate picture, and there were few patients who made findings at the pulmonary level, however, what we are seeing now that these new variants are significantly affecting the patients who have risk factors, increasing mortality rates, especially in kidney patients and cancer patients”.
The symptom that currently predominate are malaise, diarrhoea, vomiting, loss of smell, headache, nasal congestion, dizziness, weakness and central nervous system symptoms such as feeling sleepy and forgetting things.
“The symptoms are more flowery than in the previous variantsis what we have been seeing and observing in these days”, assured Soler.
“People who have risk factors are increasing the casuistry that they take to a treatment room. intensive care”, he highlighted.
According to the doctor’s practice, these new subvariants are altering the regulation of tension levelswhether in hypotension or hypertension, therefore, recommends that anyone who has symptoms get tested so that they can receive the appropriate treatment.
The doctor warns that if the test to find out if the patient is infected is done very soon, “these (subvariants) are giving negative results to the home tests, the antigen tests”, and for this reason, recommends perform after two days from the onset of symptoms to have a reliable result.
“The subvariants that are being presented now have blown away all immunity. They are not respecting the immunity left by the disease (in December-January), nor by vaccinations”, he stated.
The specialist added that “the symptoms are much more aggressive. The patient who does not have risk factors evolves better, it does not have any type of commitment, but the people who have risk factors are affecting them and the children as well”.
to usually do acknowledged that between 20 and 30 patients treated in the December-January period with ómicron have recently returned to the clinic with a reinfectionsome of whom required hospitalization and others died after the new contagion, although he did not specify the amount.
“In December the patients had flu symptoms and positivity was detected with the test, with their treatment they evolved very well… now the values of the D-dimer which was not frequent in the previous variants. He used to remain without much affection, but we have seen patients who arrive very dehydrated with vomiting and diarrhea, a lot of body pain and general malaise, with lung involvement, ”explained the doctor.
Galena recommends taking up the previous protocol of isolation, complete the vaccination schedule, wear a mask, not neglect yourself, eat and hydrate well and avoid self-medication.