False: The Omicron variant causes heart attack and blood clots in an infected individual.

WHO says more data is needed to fully comprehend the severity of Omicron. Anecdotal data suggests Omicron symptoms are mild.On December 1, 2021, the Twitter account KeroseneQ uploaded a post claiming that the Omicron variant causes heart attacks and blood clots in afflicted people. This assertion is false. Heart problems and blood clots are not included as an omicron symptoms. Dr. Angelique Coetzee, the national chair of the South African Medical Association, claims that individuals who had mild symptoms did not require hospitalizations. On November 26, World Health Organization(WHO) named the variant B.1.1.529 Omicron and designated it as a Variant of Concern. WHO stated that initial reports were from university students or younger individuals who had mild disease, but more time is required to understand the severity of the new variant. However, there is no evidence that Omicron-related symptoms are different from those associated with other COVID-19 variants. Researchers from South Africa and other parts of the world are investigating how to assess transmissibility, the severity of illness (including symptoms), vaccine and diagnostic test performance, and treatment success. As soon as the findings are available, they will be disseminated. Moreover, Dr. Coetzee nor any other experts or health authorities have listed heart attack and blood clotting as symptoms of Omicron variant. Dr. Coetzee said, "I have seen vaccinated people and not really very sick." She added, "That might change going forward, as we say, this is early days. And this is maybe what makes us hopeful." Fatigue, headache, and bodily pain were among the COVID-19 symptoms noted in these patients. Ravi Gupta, a clinical microbiologist at the University of Cambridge and one of the world's leading researchers on COVID-19, says, "[It is] a reminder we have this new variant as a result of failure to control infections," reports National Geographic article. "While we know there are many mutations, in the case of this [Omicron] variant, we don't yet know what their overall effect is," cautioned Kei Sato, a virologist at the University of Tokyo. Though research on the Omicron variant is still in its initial days, no reports of cardiac problems connected with Omicron have been found in South Africa or any other country where cases have been documented. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.