Stomach bug could be COVID-19, expert says
COVID-19 community transmission has been high during the sixth wave, with differing symptoms and questions about treatment.
Dr. Sohail Gandhi, a Stayner physician and former president of the Ontario Medical Association, notes some symptoms to be mindful of and how to treat them.
CHANGING SYMPTOMS
Dr. Gandhi cited increased abdominal symptoms, including stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea in the sixth wave.
He says fever, aches, and body chills are still common among positive COVID-19 patients but says signs of infection have changed.
"There seems to be less in the way of losing your sense of smell. I mean, that was really quite prominent with Alpha to Delta," he says.
"I would say watch out for stomach bug symptoms as well. If you think you got the stomach flu, there's a chance it could still be COVID, and you should get tested."
LONG COVID
The physician says it appears that personal genetic makeup accounts for why some people suffer from the virus more than others.
"The main issue is that at this point, we still don't understand why it affects some people harder than others. We still, unfortunately, don't know why some people get long COVID compared to other people."
Dr. Gandhi says vaccination is still the best option to combat potentially severe outcomes.
"What we do know is regardless of whether you're at risk for long COVID or hospitalization, if you get immunized, your chance of getting either of the two are significantly lessened."
SICK AT HOME
For those dealing with symptoms of COVID-19 at home, Dr. Gandhi says, "listen to your grandmother's advice."
He recommends lots of fluids, rest and Tylenol for fever, adding, "this shall pass."
Dr. Gandhi says the sixth wave is "towards the end."
"Hospitalization numbers are dropping significantly. They never got up as high as some people were concerned about, so we are truly toward the end of the sixth wave."
However, he believes COVID-19 will be an annual virus going forward.
"It's going to be like the flu where you have this every year, and you take precautions at different points in time to deal with it," he finishes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
'What have we done?' Lawyer describes shock at possible role in Trump's 2016 victory
A lawyer who negotiated a pair of hush money deals at the centre of Donald Trump's criminal trial recalled Thursday his "gallows humor" reaction to Trump's 2016 election victory and the realization that his hidden-hand efforts might have contributed to the win.
Conservative MP says Chinese hacking attack targeted his personal email
A Conservative MP is challenging claims by House of Commons administration that a China-backed hacking attempt did not impact any members of Parliament, because the attack was on his personal email.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
'Giant-killer' Kazushi Kimura to race in Kentucky Derby this weekend: 'I'm representing Canada and Japan'
Six years ago, at age 18, Kazushi Kimura left his home and family behind in Hokkaido, Japan to chase a dream. This weekend, he'll ride in the Kentucky Derby.
President Joe Biden calls Japan and India 'xenophobic' nations that do not welcome immigrants
President Joe Biden has called Japan and India “xenophobic” countries that do not welcome immigrants, lumping the two with adversaries China and Russia as he tried to explain their economic circumstances and contrasted the four with the U.S. on immigration.