If You Feel This, You May Have New Variant, Virus Expert Warns — Eat This Not That

By Ghuman

Introduction

As the world continues to grapple with the novel coronavirus pandemic, experts are warning that a new variant of the virus may be emerging. According to a virus expert, if you experience certain symptoms, you may have the new variant. To help protect yourself and others, it is important to know what to eat and what not to eat. In this article, we will discuss the warning signs of the new variant and provide tips on what to eat and what not to eat to help protect yourself and others.

Virus Expert Warns: If You Feel This, You May Have New Variant

As the world continues to grapple with the novel coronavirus pandemic, experts are warning that a new variant of the virus may be spreading. According to one virus expert, if you feel certain symptoms, you may have the new variant.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, recently warned that the new variant of the virus is more contagious than the original strain. He said that if you experience any of the following symptoms, you should get tested for the new variant:

  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle aches
  • Headache
  • Loss of taste or smell

Dr. Fauci also warned that the new variant is more likely to cause severe illness and death. He urged people to take extra precautions to protect themselves and others from the virus, including wearing a mask, washing hands frequently, and avoiding large gatherings.

In addition to the above precautions, Dr. Fauci also recommends eating certain foods to help boost your immune system and protect yourself from the virus. He suggests eating foods that are high in vitamins A, C, and E, such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts. He also recommends avoiding processed and sugary foods, as they can weaken your immune system.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has been a difficult time for everyone, but it’s important to stay vigilant and take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and others. If you experience any of the symptoms listed above, it’s important to get tested for the new variant and take the necessary steps to protect yourself.

Dr. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean at Emory University School of Medicine, appeared on CNN Newsroom to discuss the implications of new COVID-19 surges—especially the Omicron BA.2 subvariant—with anchor Ana Cabrera. Here are symptoms of BA.2, according to Dr. del Rio. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.

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“It’s been a really sad moment when we have heard that over a million Americans have died and more are still gonna be dying,” says Dr. del Rio. “And a lot of those deaths could have been prevented if people had been vaccinated and boosted. So I want to first of all remind people, the most important thing you need to do is get yourself vaccinated and get yourself boosted.”

woman coughing in medical mask on her face
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“The virus is rapidly evolving, the variants are evolving very rapidly like we’ve never seen before,” says Dr. del Rio. “And after the onset of Omicron, we’ve seen the virus take different mutations that are called subvariants of Omicron. And each one of these subvariants is a little more transmissible than the others. So chances are that you are gonna be confronting this virus.”

Woman with face mask sneezing into elbow while sitting in a cafe.
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“With people dropping restrictions like masking and having gatherings and parties, people are gonna get infected. We have all heard about family members and friends getting infected. So the most important thing if you get infected is, get tested and access therapy right away. We have plenty of supply of Paxlovid and other drugs that people can use to get treated. So know your information, know your rights, know what you can do. Get tested rapidly, get started on therapy right away. And that will be very helpful.”

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“They’re a little different and we don’t hear as much about losing your sense of taste and smell with this variant,” says Dr. del Rio. “We hear frequently of people complaining about a scratchy throat. They feel like a sore throat with a very scratchy throat. They also talk a lot about nasal congestion, like a head cold. And a lot of people initially think they have allergies because it feels like they could have allergies. But if you have fever, if you have allergy-like symptoms, if you have a scratchy throat, and particularly if five days ago you went to a big dinner with a lot of people, you went to a wedding and you’re having those symptoms, don’t say ‘this is just allergies’. Get tested for COVID.”

Woman wearing protective face mask in the office for safety and protection during COVID-19.
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“If you are a 20, 30, 40-year-old person, otherwise healthy, who’s been vaccinated and boosted, you may be able to take a lot more risky activities and do more risky stuff than if you’re an 80-year-old who hasn’t been boosted, or you’re a 60-year-old immunosuppressed person—I think it’s gonna be varying depending on what the individual risk is,” says Dr. del Rio. “The reality is that we are unlikely going to be seeing mass mandates come back again. But I think if you want to wear a mask, you should wear a mask. There’s nothing saying you shouldn’t wear a mask. And if you’re going to wear a mask, make sure it’s a high-quality mask—get yourself an N95, a KN95, a well-fitting mask, that’s what you need to wear. And [if] you are getting on a plane, make sure you’re wearing the right mask.”

Female Lab Research Worker Wearing PPE Holding Test Tube Labelled BA.2
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“At this point in time, anybody who gets infected should at least inquire about it,” says Dr. del Rio. “…If you are over the age of 40, or if you have an underlying condition like obesity, you should really try to access Paxlovid. And unless you’re taking [some very few specific] medications, all the other drug interactions with Paxlovid can be easily managed by your clinician. And the reality is we’re grossly underutilizing Paxlovid in this country. We have over 800,000 courses of therapy available at our drug stores and they’re not being used. So we really need to be sure that we start using them more because it’s an option that we’re not using and we’re not being effective as a nation to get it to the right people.”

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Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated or boosted ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don’t travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.

Ferozan Mast

Ferozan Mast is a science, health and wellness writer with a passion for making science and research-backed information accessible to a general audience. Read more