With cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 out of control in the United States, emergency rooms are filling up with patients, with one NYC doctor saying that symptoms are markedly different from what they saw in previous strains of the virus.

“Today it seemed like everyone had COVID. Like, so many,” Dr. Craig Spencer said. “And yes, like before, there were some really short of breath and needing oxygen. But for most, COVID seemed to topple a delicate balance of an underlying illness. It’s making people really sick in a different way,” NBC New York reported.

“What’s also different now is those COVID cases are often in beds next to patients who’ve done everything to avoid the virus, and for whom an infection might have a dramatic toll. The cancer patient on chemotherapy. Those immunocompromised or severely sick with something else,” he said.

Spencer said that although Omicron causes milder illness in most cases, it’s not making much of a difference to hospital systems.

“There’s just SO much of it and it’s impacting patients in different ways. So even if just a tiny portion of cases need to stay in the hospital, it can turn into a huge influx,” Spencer wrote on Twitter.

“Every patient I’ve seen with Covid that’s had a 3rd ‘booster’ dose has had mild symptoms. By mild I mean mostly sore throat. Lots of sore throat. Also some fatigue, maybe some muscle pain. No difficulty breathing. No shortness of breath. All a little uncomfortable, but fine,” he added.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)