What are the symptoms of the now-dominant Covid-19 variant?

Covid-19 cases are on the rise in the district of Plovdiv (Southern Bulgaria), doctors from the region report. The forecast is that the peak of the new wave will occur in the coming months.

Against this backdrop, the coronavirus immunisation campaign has started early. Although the symptoms in the current variants are milder and last only a few days, medics urge not to underestimate them, because each illness activates and complicates chronic diseases.

A surge in Covid-19 cases has been noticed by GPs in recent weeks. The official statistics are inaccurate as large number of the infected are not tested in laboratories, only tests at home are done.

"What is typical is that people feel unwell for 3 to 5 days, but the symptoms are moderately severe. The sore throat is severe, the headache too - for three or four days people ill with Covid feel fatigued," said Kostadin Stoilov, a general practitioner.

Self-control among patients is also low because of the lifting of the requirement for quarantine. The rising number of cases made it necessary to start the free vaccination campaign against Covid earlier this year.

"Currently, the vaccine available in Bulgaria is mRNA vaccine. It is the same, only the information in it is against JN.1, which is a sub-variant of Omicron and from which the most circulating ones in Europe are derived. This vaccine creates cross immunity," explained Dr. Hristiana Batselova, an infectiologist at Plovdiv medical university.

More than 70% of those vaccinated in the last two weeks in the Regional Health Inspectorate - Plovdiv fall into the risk group of those aged 60 years and over. Vaccination is also recommended for children.

"It is good for people to protect themselves, as the increase in the cases is just starting now. Even if the symptoms of the current variants are not so severe, the complications that people get remain," said Dr. Kostadin Stoilov, a general practitioner.

By the end of the month, GPs will also receive the free flu vaccines, which are administered to patients aged 65 and over.