The common symptoms of COVID-19 infection include fever, cough, tiredness, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, body pains, nausea, irritable eyes, and diarrhea.  Some other more severe symptoms include shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, and chest pain. The different variants of SARS-CoV-2 cannot be determined by one's symptoms, because most symptoms overlap. The symptoms may also vary based on an individual’s vaccination status against the virus. 

Compared to the Delta variant, the Omicron variant has mutations or changes in its structure that make it easier to spread and evade immunity from past infections or vaccination. Some pre-prints of lab studies and initial results from South Africa show that the symptoms of Omicron are less severe and may stay in the nose and throat region. However, mild symptoms could become severe eventually, and should be monitored continuously. 

The time between exposure to the virus and appearance of symptoms (incubation period) is shown to be shorter for the Omicron variant compared to Delta. Omicron symptoms can show up in three to four days of exposure, compared to four to six days in the case of Delta.

The WHO and CDC recommend that all individuals experiencing any of the COVID symptoms get tested, monitor their symptoms, seek medical help as required, and isolate themselves as per the guidelines of their country, regardless of the variant. 

A new SARS-CoV-2 variant was detected in November 2021, which rapidly started spreading and became the dominant variant, surpassing the previous Delta variant. Several social media posts around the world claim that the COVID-19 variants Delta and Omicron can be easily distinguished based on the symptoms an individual experiences. This information is inaccurate and while there might be some variation in the symptoms one experiences, most symptoms overlap. Moreover, many people do not show any symptoms at all for either of the variants.