One of the biggest questions is knowing what symptoms to expect first and in what order they will arrive. To learn more, we spoke to Dr. Robert G. Lahita MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for Autoimmune and Rheumatic Disease at Saint Joseph Health and author of Immunity Strong. Here’s everything you need to know about what order you should expect delta variant symptoms to appear in.
What order do delta variant symptoms appear in?
Delta variant symptom order (and COVID symptoms in general) varies from person to person. “If you talk to people, they vary with their symptom order. That being said, most people feel like they have been hit with a Mack truck first and foremost, then they notice the loss of taste and smell,” Dr. Lahita explains. He provides a numbered list below:
Cold-like symptoms are also common
While a cough is still prevalent, people are now experiencing nasal congestion and sneezing. And knowing the difference between a common cold and COVID comes down to the severity of the symptoms. “COVID-19 will cause symptoms that are out of control,” Dr. Lahita explains. “Imagine the most horrendous cold you’ve ever had.” Although there are more common symptoms than others, you can also experience the following:
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathingFatigueRed eyesSkin rashDiarrhea
What makes delta so dangerous?
“Delta is highly transmissible. You can catch it within 5 to 10 seconds of exposure and you can pass it on six times faster than you could with the Alpha variant,” says Dr. Lahita. “It is also much more concentrated in the brain than the others. This could explain the severe brain fog and other neurological findings during the infection and after it.” If you’re worried about the Delta variant, the very best plan of attack is to get vaccinated. “The vaccine boosts the innate and the adaptive immune system—two aspects of the immune system that are extremely important to overcoming infection, particularly the innate immune system which has a lot of antiviral properties and specific anti-viral cells,” Dr. Lahita explains. When you get a virus infection of any kind, your innate immune system kicks in. “It’s like the S.W.A.T. team of the immune system, which arrives first and then informs the other aspects of the immune system to rev up and become active,” says Dr. Lahita.
How to stay safe in the face of the delta variant
While it’s hard to feel totally safe in the face of delta variant, there are some things you can do to mitigate your risk. “If you’re unvaccinated you run the risk of being infected and winding up in the hospital. If you are unvaccinated and you’re mixing in with people who are vaccinated, you should wear a mask and goggles if you can,” Dr. Lahita states. If you are vaccinated, Dr. Lahita still recommends wearing a mask. “You should wear a mask also to protect yourself from any unvaccinated person who is infected and has that 5 day period where they aren’t passing the virus on yet but they will shortly,” Dr. Lahita explains. This also pertains to schoolchildren. “If kids are in the school classroom and aren’t wearing masks and the teacher is unvaccinated, the kids can give her the virus and kill her. Conversely, the teacher can have the virus and infect the children. The good news is the children probably won’t succumb to the disease, but some of them may get multi-system inflammatory syndrome which is serious, but usually reversible.” Next, read These Delta Variant Memes Will Help You Find Humor in the Darkness.
Sources
Robert G. Lahita MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for Autoimmune and Rheumatic Disease at Saint Joseph Health and author of Immunity StrongWorld Health Organization: “Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Advice for the Public”
