• An ER doctor said that Omicron makes people sick in a different manner than the original virus.
• Dr. Craig Spencer stated that the variant can exacerbate other medical conditions, and that there is "so much" of it.
• He tweeted Tuesday, "The nightmare has ended, but this is still scary,"

Omicron's COVID-19 is making people "really sick in a different manner" than the original virus, a top ER doctor said.

Dr. Craig Spencer, an associate professor of Emergency Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, tweeted Tuesday, stating that patients were less "gasping for oxygen" than the March 2020 wave.

Spencer spoke of his experience in New York City's ER.

Spencer stated that "record numbers” of COVID-19-positive patients were visiting the ER. He also said that there was an "extremely high number" of non-COVID-19 COVID-19 patients. He said that COVID was the only thing seen in ERs during the initial surge.

Spencer said that COVID-19 made pre-existing medical conditions worse. He said that COVID-19 could cause a life-threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis in people who have diabetes.

He said that COVID-19 can make it difficult for older people to get out of bed.

Spencer said that COVID patients are often next to patients who have done all they can to avoid the virus and for whom an infection could be devastating. "The patient with cancer who is receiving chemotherapy. He said that those who are immunocompromised or very sick with chemotherapy were eligible.

According to official statistics, there were 5,495 COVID-19-infected New York City residents as of Monday. This is four times more than the number from two weeks ago, and much higher than any time since May 2020.

"The nightmare is over. He said, "But this is also scary."

According to NHS England data, two-thirds (or three quarters) of COVID-19 patients in the UK were admitted directly with Omicron.

The rest were a "mixed" group of people with: COVID-19 making already existing conditions worse, COVID-19 picked-up coincidentally, people still in hospital, Christina Pagel (professor of operational research at University College London) said via Twitter that day.

It is not clear if Omicron causes other symptoms or if it is a different virus than others.

Spencer stated that the majority of COVID-19 patients who were most sick were not vaccinated. Even Omicron was used. "If you haven’t been vaccinated, or boosted, now is the best time. He said that it makes a big difference.

Symptoms based on vaccine status

Mucio Kit Delado, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center emergency room assistant professor of Emergency Medicine, tweeted Monday that he has seen a "strikingly consistent" pattern in his symptoms due to vaccination status.

Delgado stated that he had not seen anyone who had received a booster, as they are more likely to have regular flu-like symptoms or be at home recovering from COVID-19.

He said that many people became "wiped out, dehydrated, and febrile" after being vaccinated, but not boosted. Delgado stated that patients who are older than 55 years or have other medical conditions were frequently admitted to the hospital overnight for intravenous fluids or "supportive care", and they usually returned home within a few days.

Delgado concluded that unvaccinated individuals were the ones who get sick and need oxygen. He said, "Some people are even younger than I."