Corona Update: Symptoms of Covid-19 in Second Wave is ‘Less Severe’ Than First, Says ICMR Chief

New Delhi: The Covid cases are increasing on a huge scale. And there is a lot of concern over the symptoms of Covid-19 and its severity in the second wave of the global pandemic. The Indian Council of Medical Research Director-General Dr. Balram Bhargava explained the difference between the symptoms in the 1st and 2nd Covid-19 waves. He said that the severity of the symptoms of Covid-19 is less in the 2nd wave.

Dr. Bhargava said, “If you see the symptoms, severity is very less this time. In this wave, we have witnessed more cases of breathlessness while in the last wave, symptoms like dry cough, joint pain, headaches were more”. Regarding the detection of the virus through RT-PCR, the ICMR Chief said, “We measure two genes or more, therefore, there is no chance of missing detection of any mutant”. The Chief further stated that there is no difference in the death percent between the 1st and 2nd waves of the pandemic.

It is also been found that only a marginally high proportion of Covid-19 patients are young. The ICMR general said, “From zero to 19 years- the difference was 5.8% versus 4.2%, and in 20-40 years, the difference was 25% versus 23%. There is a marginal difference in this. More than 70% were above or equal to 40 years of age. A higher number of asymptomatic individuals got admitted this year, than a higher proportion of patients admitted with breathlessness”.