COVID-19 Delta Variant Is Displaying Fresh Set Of Symptoms Including Hearing Loss

Doctors in India say the new C0vid-19 variant is displaying a fresh set of symptoms in the patients.

The new symptoms include hearing impairment, gangrene from blood clots, and severe gastric upsets.

Doctors treating patients across the country told Bloomberg News that the new so-called Delta variant, B1.617.2, is causing a wide variety of conditions, including stomach pain, vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, hearing loss, and joint pain in patients who have tested positive for the deadly virus.

"We need more scientific research to analyze if these newer clinical presentations are linked to B.1.617 or not," Dr. Abdul Ghafur, an infectious disease physician at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai, told the news outlet.

He said that he is treating more Covid patients with diarrhea now than in the first wave of the pandemic.

"Last year, we thought we had learned about our new enemy, but it changed," Dr. Ghafur said. "This virus has become so, so unpredictable."

Dr. Ganesh Manudhane, a cardiologist in Mumbai who has treated eight patients at the Seven Hills Hospital, said some of his patients have displayed microthrombi — small blood clots.

He said the clots have been so severe in some cases that the affected tissues die and develop gangrene, adding that he is seeing blood clots in patients with no history of coagulation-related problems.

Two such cases required amputations of fingers or foot, he told the outlet.

"I saw three to four cases the whole of last year, and now it’s one patient a week," Manudhane said.

"We suspect it could be because of the new virus variant," he added

Dr. Hetal Marfatia, an ear, nose, and throat surgeon at Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial Hospital, said that some patients are also seeking treatment for severe tonsillitis and swelling around the neck.

"Every person is showing different symptoms," she said.

The Delta variant has already spread to more than 60 countries, the outlet reports.

"New vaccines have to be prepared with new variants in mind," said Dr. Ghafur. "We can’t get ahead of the virus, but at least we can at least keep up with it."

India has recorded more than 3,55,747 Covid deaths so far, according to reports from the country's health ministry.