It feels like Omicron is every second word in the news at the moment, and not without reason.
On January 8, 146,390 people tested positive in the UK, with 1,227,288 having tested positive in the last week.
With Omicron now comfortably the dominant variant in the UK, the symptoms of this particular strain are understandably of huge interest to the population.
London, which was for some time the epicentre of the nation's Omicron wave, is now understood to have stabilised, with the virus now surging throughout the rest of the country.
Stories about the multitude of new symptoms have been rife as research and understanding of the new strain, which appeared and spread incredibly fast, improves with time.
To cut through the barrage, we have put together the most common and significant symptoms of the Omicron variant.
Top 20 Omicron symptoms
Investigations into Omicron remain ongoing, and as such many of the symptoms being reported are anecdotal, and not all fully determined by scientists.
The USA health body, the Center for Disease Control, or CDC, lists the following symptoms for Omicron:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhoea
Meanwhile, the NHS continues to list the three common symptoms of Covid from previous variants as the main symptoms to look out for:
- a high temperature
- a new, continuous cough
- a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
Further specific anecdotal symptoms that are being reported include:
- Back pain
- A loss of appetite
- Sleep paralysis
- Skin rash
- Night sweats
As scientifically verified research is awaited, the importance of frontline medical staff in identifying symptoms is key for day to day treatment and identification.
In one such example, speaking to the Express, Dr Sanket Jain, a pulmonologist consultant based in Mumbai, said: "One of my patients, just five days back, got admitted with a complaint of loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting.
"As per protocol, we conducted RT-PCR, and it came positive. Such symptoms are commonly being observed nowadays especially in infections of Omicron".
Read on for more symptoms identified as more serious and in need of medical attention.
What Omicron symptoms mean you should get emergency help?
The CDC lists the following symptoms as cause to seek medical help :
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone
Meanwhile, the NHS say that help should be sought by anyone who feels worried or is not sure what to do.
People can do this by calling 111 or by going online here.
