10.09.2025 17:54
The nightmare of the coronavirus, which has caused the deaths of more than 7 million people, is not over. Experts, noting that the number of cases is on the rise again, reminded that one of the most effective ways to protect against the disease is the use of masks. They pointed out the symptoms to watch for, such as high fever, fatigue, sore throat, and loss of taste and smell, as the subtypes of the Omicron variant become more widespread.
The nightmare of the coronavirus, which has caused the deaths of more than 7 million people worldwide, has resurfaced. Prof. Dr. Muhammed Emin Akkoyunlu, who stated that the number of cases is on the rise again, said, "As in the whole world, Covid-19 cases have started to increase again in our country as well. It has been determined that many patients who came with flu complaints are actually Covid." Prof. Dr. Muhammed Emin Akkoyunlu noted that severe cases have started to be seen again, stating, "Masks and distance not only prevent transmission but also prevent the disease from progressing severely."
"CHILDREN ARE AT GREAT RISK"
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hüsrev Diktaş from the Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology expressed that the Omicron variants are rapidly spreading again worldwide, warning, "High fever, weakness, sore throat, and loss of taste and smell are also observed in these variants." Experts emphasized that especially the elderly, children, and immunocompromised individuals are at greater risk.
"COVID HAS NOT ENDED, WE ARE IN A RESURGENCE PROCESS"
Prof. Dr. Muhammed Emin Akkoyunlu, who once again highlighted the importance of masks and distance, stated, "We can say that Covid cases have increased in our clinic over the past month. We can say that almost all of the cases that came in as flu are actually Covid. Although the cases generally come with mild symptoms, there have also been cases that we hospitalized and admitted to intensive care with flu-like symptoms that pose a vital risk. In these cases, we had to use heavy medications as we did in the early stages of the pandemic. Therefore, this is a clear warning: Covid is not over and we are in a resurgence process.
One of the questions here is, who is experiencing more difficulties and in which cases is there a higher likelihood of severe progression? If the virus variant taken is one that progresses severely, the disease can also progress severely. Additionally, the amount of virus taken is very important. In other words, if someone has been exposed to a lot of virus, the disease can progress more severely. Therefore, we can say that masks and distance not only prevent the transmission of the disease but also prevent it from progressing severely. The ventilation of the environment is also important in this regard. Of course, if age is advanced, if there are comorbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension, organ failures, or cancers, the disease progresses much more severely. Additionally, in patients using medications that suppress the immune system, there is also a possibility of the disease progressing severely," he stated.
"OMICRON VARIANT SUBTYPES ARE SPREADING"
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hüsrev Diktaş pointed out that the subtypes of the Omicron variant, which is a subvariant of Covid-19, namely Stratus and Nimbus, are increasingly spreading worldwide, stating, "As of May, based on American data, we see that the Omicron variant, which is a subtype of Covid-19, has started to spread again worldwide. We see that the subtypes of the Omicron variant, Stratus and Nimbus, are extremely important in this increase. These variants are observed in different regions around the world. However, in terms of symptoms, they are not very different from other Covid cases. When we clinically observe, fever, fatigue, weakness, and upper respiratory tract infection symptoms, along with severe sore throats, are prominent. In some cases, diarrhea can be seen.
Neurological symptoms such as loss of taste and smell can also be observed in these variants. So what should we do? One of the important points here is to pay attention to personal hygiene and precautions. Especially if children starting school have these symptoms, it is very important not to send them to school, to isolate patients, and to provide supportive treatment. Which groups are at greater risk? Especially in elderly patients and children, along with immunocompromised individuals, the situation progresses even more severely. We need to be careful about this," he said.