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After more than two years of living under the COVID-19 pandemic, we've learned that the virus is very capable of taking the world by surprise. The latest curveball has been coping with the Omicron variant, which sent cases soaring to their highest levels in the U.S. when they peaked in January. Now, the BA.2 subvariant of the virus is causing cases to rise in other parts of the world as it continues to spread. But how is the latest viral offshoot different from its predecessors? Read on to see which three symptoms could mean you've come down with the BA.2 COVID variant.

Kaugnay:I'm Boosted and Got Omicron—This Was My Worst Symptom by Far.

As spring kicks off, COVID cases are holding steady on their months-long decline in the U.S. But the change in seasons also means the return of seasonal allergies, which have made it notoriously difficult to distinguish between a COVID infection and your body's reaction to higher pollen levels. Because of these similarities, some experts point out that feeling any of the most common BA.2 symptoms make it necessary to reach for a swab.AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB.

"The fact is you can't tell the difference without a test. You need to take a test," Celine Gounder, MD, a clinical assistant professor of medicine and infectious diseases at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told CBS News during a March 22 interview. "You could have the sniffles, you could have a cough, you could have a sore throat, it could be from COVID, it could be from the flu, it could be from seasonal allergies. So if you have those symptoms, just take a pagsusulit."

Even as doctors and scientists are still trying to map the exact differences in how newer versions of the virus can make people feel, there's evidence pointing to the fact that you can still expect many familiar COVID warning signs. "The symptoms of the Omicron variant, which includes the BA.2 lineage, and the Delta variant, are similar,"Erica Johnson, MD, the chair of the Infectious Disease Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine and doctor of internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, tells Parada. "In general, common symptoms include fever, cough, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, and fatigue. Some people may experience nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some may also experience changes in taste or smell."

Some of the most specific available data on Omicron symptoms comes from the U.K. Zoe COVID Study App, which collects reports from a large pool of participants. According to information from people who recently tested positive and are believed to have been infected with BA.2, 80 percent reported having a runny nose, followed by 65 to 70 percent of respondents reporting fatigue, sneezing, sore throat, and headache. In addition, half of the recently infected participants reported a persistent cough, while 31 percent reported running a fever and 23 percent reported a change in their ability to smell, Tim Spector, one of the project's founders, told Newsweek.

When asked if analysts had noticed any specific difference between BA.2 and the original Omicron, Spector replied: "We are not seeing any obvious change in symptoms—just more cases!"

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The rise of BA.2 has caused concern among the medical community. The latest viral offshoot is believed to be 50 to 60 percent more transmissible than the already highly contagious Omicron, with its rapid spread making it the dominant strain globally as the cause of 86 percent of all sequenced cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And while cases continue their downward trend in the U.S. for the moment, a rising proportion of infections caused by BA.2 has some officials concerned that the spikes in other countries could soon begin domestically.

"Nakita namin ang isang uptick ng coronavirus sa wastewater-kaya na ang iyong tubig ng alkantarilya-kaya alam namin na may pagtaas ng paglipat sa buong bansa," sinabi ni Gounder sa CBS News. "Ang tunay na tanong ay ang pagsasalin sa malubhang sakit, ospital, at kamatayan. At talagang nakasalalay sa kung ang mga tao ay nabakunahan at pinalakas, kung mayroon silang kamakailang impeksiyon-kaya ang proteksyon mula sa mga pista opisyal na may omicron na-at kung sila ay matatanda o immunocompromised, tiyak na sila ay mas mataas na panganib. "

Gayunpaman, ang ilang mga opisyal ay nanatiling maingat na maasahin sa mabuti na habang maaaring magkaroon ng isangspike sa mga impeksyon sa covid Sa mga darating na linggo, ang isa pang marahas na pagtaas ay mas malamang. "Ang ilalim na linya ay malamang na makikita natin ang isang uptick sa mga kaso, tulad ng nakita natin sa mga bansang Europa, lalo na ang U.K.," Chief White House Covid AdviserAnthony Fauci., MD, sinabi sa isang hitsura sa ABC'sNgayong linggo Noong Marso 20. "Sana, hindi namin makikita ang isang surge-hindi ko iniisip."

Inamin ni Fauci na habang ang BA.2 ay nagpakita ng isang natatanging hanay ng mga hamon dahil sa pagpapadala nito, may mga palatandaan mula sa ibang mga bansa na mayroon manMaaaring naiiba ang nalalapit na surge. "Kapag tiningnan mo ang mga kaso, hindi sila mukhang mas malubha, at hindi sila lumilitaw upang maiwasan ang mga immune response mula sa mga bakuna o mga naunang impeksiyon," sabi niya.

Kapag tinanong o hindi oras na upang mabuhay ang mga paghihigpit sa proteksiyon upang maiwasan ang paggulong, sumagot si Fauci na hindi sila kinakailangan. Ngunit nagtaguyod siya para sa iba pang mga hakbang na maaaring gawin ng mga opisyal upang maprotektahan laban sa virus sa hinaharap upang matiyak na ang mga pag-iingat ay hindi kinakailangan muli. "Ang pinakamadaling paraan upang maiwasan ang [isang surge] ay patuloy na makakuha ng mga tao na nabakunahan. At para sa mga nabakunahan, upang patuloy na mapalakas ang mga ito, kaya talagang kung saan tayo tumayo ngayon," sabi niya.

Kaugnay:Kung napansin mo ito sa iyong mukha, maaaring ito ay isang omicron sintomas.