In France and abroad, doctors warn of the digestive symptoms caused by the Delta variant, and encourage patients to be tested in the event of acute diarrhea.
- The Delta variant represents 43% of positive PCRs in France.
- Its symptoms differ from those caused by the Alpha (British) variant: acute diarrhoea, severe fatigue, nasal congestion and headache, but no loss of taste or smell.
- In the event of symptoms reminiscent of those of gastroenteritis, it is urgent to go and be tested against Covid-19.
Diarrhea, runny nose, significant fatigue… If you suffer from these symptoms, beware, it may not be gastroenteritis, but a Delta variant infection! While this Indian variant represents more than 40% of contaminations and circulates particularly in the Landes, several doctors warn of the different symptoms it causes compared to other strains of Covid-19.
Not the season for gastroenteritis
In France, several doctors have noted a sharp increase in emergency visits and calls to SOS Médecins for acute gastroenteritis. A finding shared by the National Health Service (NHS). Diarrhea, nasal congestion, headache and fatigue are the most common symptoms caused by the Delta variant, according to the UK public health system, while loss of taste and smell are less common. frequent.
“Unlike a runny nose or a sore throat, we have indicators for gastroenteritis, via calls to SOS doctors or visits to the emergency room, explain to Yahoo Health Dr Clarisse Audigier-Valette, Covid unit manager at the Toulon hospital center (Var). However, it is one of the first symptoms of Covid, which must be used to assess the circulation of the epidemic in the population.
This symptom is all the more suggestive of contamination with the Delta variant of Covid-19 as “it’s not the season for gastroenteritis”says Dr. Audigier-Valette. “So if we have digestive problems, this should alert us to possible Covid contamination. If we are also tired, have a little fever, or have had behaviors at risk of contagion or people we met also have the signs of gastro, you have to go get tested.
It is necessary to quickly take an interest in the digestive indicators
The regulations of SOS and center 15 bring us reports of feverish gastroenteritis…
who may be #VariantDelta misunderstood???????@ARSPaca @SantePublicFr @Sante_Gouv pic.twitter.com/WTxXjIrrBH— Dr. Clarisse Audigier-Valette???????? (@CAudigierValett) July 10, 2021
Strong growth of the Delta variant throughout the country
In his weekly epidemiological report, published every Thursday evening, Public Health France indicates that from June 28 to July 4, the proportion of the Delta variant detected among the diagnosed cases was increasing sharply, with territorial heterogeneity. This L452R mutation was thus found in 43% of the screening PCRs, against 21% the previous week. This means that the proportion of the Delta variant among positive tests for the Covid-19 coronavirus has more than doubled in one week.
The regions where the Delta variant circulates the most are Île-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. “All the regions reported at least one case of the Delta variant, with, to date, two regions still little affected, Corsica and Guyana, with a single sequence identified as a Delta variant”, specifies Public Health France in its report. .
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