COVID-19 Omicron Variant: It's Early, But Here's Everything We Know Right Now

As with any new variant of the COVID-19 virus, you may wonder whether or not you’re going to require emergency room treatment. This may cause many of you reading this to search for emergency treatment in Houston or an ER near you in preparation for you or your family becoming ill from this new form of the virus.

Since this variant is still relatively new in the United States, much is still to be learned about it. That said, there are a few facts that are already known.

Symptoms of the New COVID Variant

As with most known variants of this virus, the new COVID-19 Omicron variant symptoms will mimic those that many of us are familiar with from the initial onset of the pandemic. These include:

• Fever
• Dry cough
• Fatigue
• Aches and pains
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste or smell
• Headache
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

Some of these symptoms indeed mimic those of other conditions, so knowing that you have an ER near you, such as Ascent Emergency Medical Center, should provide immediate peace of mind that you will receive the diagnostics and care you and your family deserve.

If you’re reading this now because you’re curious if the symptoms you are experiencing could be related to COVID-19, please remember that walk-ins are always welcome at our 24-hour medical facility near you.

Safety & Precautions for Omicron Variant

Although there is no specific designation of an Omicron variant COVID-19 vaccine as of this writing, there are precautions you can take to lessen your risk of needing medical care or, worse, losing your life to the virus. The baseline to protect yourself from any form of COVID-19 is to be fully vaccinated. This protocol takes time to administer, so getting vaccinated sooner rather than later could save your life, the life of someone you love, or the life of someone you may not even know.

In addition to vaccinations, the precautions for this variant remain the same as the initial precautions – wear a mask, wash your hands often and for the proper length of time, and try to minimize time spent in a group or crowded setting.

That being said, breakthrough infections are to be expected, even if you’ve taken every safety & precaution for the Omicron variant. When you visit Ascent Emergency Medical Center for your questions about COVID-19 and its variants, antibody tests are available with results under 24-hours.

Have You Been Exposed to Someone with COVID-19 or a Variant?

Are you experiencing new COVID-19 Omicron variant symptoms after exposure to someone with the virus? Knowing that you can get results about COVID-19 and its Omicron variant in under 24 hours is excellent news for anyone needing speedy results. Ascent Emergency Medical Center is committed to always being prepared for any emergency condition, which is why we’re here 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Although there is no absolute prevention to date specific to an Omicron variant COVID-19 vaccine, testing is available. Rather than continuing to worry about exposure to the COVID-19 Omicron variant, please visit our ER in Houston today for testing.