Omitron and the seasonal flu with confusing similarities, health experts show symptoms

Despite differences between Omitron and the seasonal flu, their clinical signs are quite rough, says Julle Mulliqi-Osman, microbiologist.

The National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo (IKSHPK), in a Facebook account, when referring to vaccines against seasonal flu, writes that “... in many cases, it is not clinically easy to distinguish seasonal flu from other respiratory infections, including [the disease causing the new coronary] COVID-19, where a diagnostic test” is required for final diagnosis.

Dedush: Omitron and seasonal flu with rough clinical signs

Kosovo epidemiologist Isuf Dedushaj tells Radio Free Europe that the epidemiological situation with COVID-19, although it is currently calm in Kosovo, tends to deteriorate.

The large number of chronic flu infected over 15 thousand has created a double challenge for health experts, he says.

<x) So we're going to have another problem with the seasonal flu, because it manifests itself at 40 degrees. It is marked with pain of joints, stomach removal, muscle pain, and joints. So they're similar [to the coronary], but there's no need for oxygeno-rapy”, Dedushaj says.

Mulliq-Osman: The laboratory diagnosis for the differentation of the coronavirus from the flu

Filliqi-Osmani, retired microbiologist in Kosovo, says the similarities of the Omitron variant to the seasonal flu are quite large in the clinical context.

Because there's also nose leaks, there's swelling of mucosa, respiratory paths, there's always no temperature, there's pain, as there's flu virus, there's muscle pain, as well as flu virus. Therefore, the best and favorite difference would be laboratory diagnosis. But clinically, usually, it's hard enough to completely and certainly 100% differentiate”, says Mulliq-Osman for Radio Free Europe.

According to her, with tests currently running public and private labs in Kosovo, it can be diagnosed with the SARS Cov-2 virus, which causes COVIED-19, but in these labs there can be no differentialation of the storm [dependent within the type] genetic strain of the virus, therefore the Omitron variant.

However, Mulliqi-Osman adds, testing for SARS Cov-2, though it cannot differentiate varieties, can confirm the infection or not with coronarys.

That way, according to her, the test removes questions about whether the infection is coronavirus or the seasonal flu.

Also, she says, testing can be done for the Influenza A virus or the seasonal flu in order to verify diagnosis.

Test samples from the PCR for coronary tests, which are sent to labs for analysis, can tell if the option that causes the infection looks like Omitron.

Special technology is used for Omitron detection cases.

To confirm that a suspected case is Omitron, complete genetic tests, lasting between four and five days.

Free Europe Radio Addressed I The KSHPK's question of whether Kosovo can provide capacity to detect new variants of the choreography, but until the publication of this text has not been answered.

Vital Testing

According to data that the Kosovo National Public Health Institute (IKSHPK) has sent to Radio Free Europe on December 17th, out of 15,786 flu cases, 2.498 have been described as acute respiratory infections and 69 with severe acute respiratory infections.

Epidemiologist Dedusaj says that the number of persons counted with the seasonal flu is large and that the largest number, according to him, has been diagnosed through clinical signs, then eventual doubts can arise if there are persons among them with any version of the SARS Cov-2 virus, not excluding either Omitron.

He appeals to health workers to instruct patients for testing.

They must be tested. They can also be tested for A flu, but they can also become a [test] PCR, to be seen if it's Omitron. Now, if it's positive in the PCR, of course the Microbiology Institute will do its best to select samples and send them to the Robert Koch Institute [the central scientific institution in Germany's biomedicine] and verify if Omikron” has appeared, says Dedusaj.

Could it be “is individual” Omitron?

Mulliq-Osman says that none of the cases, recorded with the seasonal flu, have ended with fatality and, according to her, reduces doubts about the likelihood of Omitron spreading to Kosovo at least so far.

Maybe we could say hypothetically, at the moment, that maybe it could be delineated [Omitron]. But it wouldn't be without consequences, because one case is drawn to us, it will spread it elsewhere and it will somehow explode with symptoms”, says Mulqi-Osman.

Kosovo has sent 72 samples to a laboratory in Germany in early December through a European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention programme to see whether Omitron version is present.

Of all the samples sent to Germany, no case has proved positive in the option of Covid-19 Omitron. Health Minister Rifat Latifi has declared this.

It would be a big disaster if we completely loosen up the measures and we think we have Omitron here and we have no diseases of Covid”, Latifi says.

According to data from this institute, published on December 22nd, over 300 active cases of corruption continue in Kosovo.

The Omitron version of the Coronavirus was first identified in South Africa in November.

Since then it has spread to dozens of countries in the world.

The World Health Organization has classified Omitron as a disturbing option.

Omitron has more mutations than the current dominant version Delta, and it is not yet clear how effective existing vaccines are against it.