Be Advised: Patients with the Delta Variant May Have Symptoms Different from Other Variants

It continues to be a difficult proposition to get a handle on a “standard” constellation of symptoms among patients with COVID-19. It’s been made even more difficult by the ongoing rise of the Delta variant. A leading public health official in Louisiana, where the pandemic is taking as great a toll as anywhere in the world at the moment, told New Orleans radio station WWL that symptoms associated with Delta are distinct from those associated with other forms of the virus. As cooler temperatures approach in much of the country, the fact that Joe Kanter, MD, MPH likened Delta symptoms to those of the common cold could be a harbinger of greater spread among people who think their “minor” symptoms—runny nose, scratchy throat, etc.—don’t bear testing or precautions. The ZOE COVID Symptom Study in the UK supports that notion, as well. Urgent care providers should be alert for those signs and test (and advise patients) accordingly.