Vietnam detects first Omicron cases in the community, state media reported on Wednesday.
The three positive cases were detected over the weekend in Ho Chi Minh City and confirmed as Omicron late on Tuesday, the Tien Phong Newspaper reported, citing health authorities.
###: Japan widens Covid-19 controls as the Omicron variant drives new infections to record levels
Although studies claim Omicron to be mild, there is no plausible reason to think that the highly-transmissible variant will not cause long Covid conditions among survivors.
Though much remains unknown about omicron, experts say the variant could lead to long Covid, even with a mild case. Patients with long-term symptoms can experience crushing fatigue, irregular heart rhythms and other issues months after their initial Covid infection.
Also read: Omicron cases may start dropping off dramatically in some countries as it’s running out of people to infect
Emergence of Omicron On November 24, 2021, a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, B.1.1.529, was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). This new variant was first detected in specimens collected on November 11, 2021 in Botswana and on November 14, 2021 in South Africa.
Based on previous data, that means people with omicron could start becoming contagious as soon as a day after infection. With previous variants, people became contagious two to four days after infection. And people remain contagious a couple days after symptoms subside.
