Covid: a new symptom on the face caused by the Pirola variant?

We now know: the Covid virus can cause different symptoms including respiratory and digestive, and these symptoms evolve over time and depending on the variants that are spreading. But recently, a new, more surprising sign was observed by doctors and could testify toan infection with the Pirola variant (BA.2.86)a mutation of Omicron which is currently circulating in Europe, and which is increasing in France for two weeks. “Unlike most previous variants, Pirola could cause symptoms visible on the face such aseye irritation And a rash“, estimates Dr Johannes Uys, general practitioner at Broadgate General Practice (London), quoted by The Mirror on November 4. Comments also reported by Dr Nighat Arif, general practitioner at the National Health Service (the public health system of the Kingdom -Uni) on the set of the show The Morning. Concretely, it would be a “skin rash“, or redness (red patches) and little buttons on the face (And potentially on other parts of the body including the armpits (see photo below)) as well as Red eyes. These new symptoms were in fact found in people who had been infected with the Pirola variant, and were often accompanied by a diarrhea and severe fatigue.

Of course, these skin and eye symptoms being not very specific and revealing a multitude of problems, they are not necessarily linked to a Covid infection. But if you have these symptoms, it may be safer to do a test and isolate yourself while waiting for the results. “The skin can be considered a window to the rest of the body because it’s inflammation that you can see – and that may be a sign of inflammation elsewhere“, already declared Dr. Esther Freeman, Director at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston in a analysis of the International Registry of Dermatological Impacts of Covid-19 in October 2020.

“Most people make a full recovery with time and rest”

Despite the appearance of new symptoms, the variant Pirola would not be more dangerous than other mutations of the virus. There is currently “no indication to consider this a new variant of significant concern“, indicates a study co-carried out by Massimo Ciccozzi, director of the Molecular Statistics and Epidemiology Unit of the Bio-Medical Campus of Rome and published in the Journal of Medical Virology. “In fact, your chances of getting seriously ill (after an infection with the Pirola variant, editor’s note) are almost the sameand most people make a full recovery with time and rest“, reassures Dr Johannes Uys.