Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Dublin Live
Dublin Live
National
Adam Chapman & Elaine Blackburne & Rachel Curran

'Assume you have Covid' if you wake up with this symptom

Ireland has now passed the peak Covid-19 summer wave, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said this week as Covid hospital numbers have started to fall.

However, the disease is still rampant, with more people catching Covid-19 than the common cold. And there are two specific symptoms that you need to look out for.

Professor Tim Spector, ZOE Scientific Co-Founder and lead scientist on the ZOE Health Study, has now highlighted two symptoms which may be more noticeable when you wake that you can "best assume" is Covid, reports The Express.

Professor Luke O'Neill says new Covid-19 vaccination campaign in autumn 'likely'

He says there are two main symptoms which are becoming evident from the Zoe study, which has been collecting data throughout the pandemic.

In a twitter post he pointed out those with Covid are more likely to report fatigue - and if you wake up after a good night's sleep but still feel tired then that might point to Covid.

Likewise, a sore throat is more commonly reported in people with Covid than a regular common cold, noted Prof Spector. If you spot the above symptoms, "assume" it's Covid, he wrote.

Top Irish Covid expert Professor Luke O’Neill recently spoke about the summer wave of Covid, saying there is a new symptom that people should look out for.

"One extra symptom for BA.5 I saw this morning is night sweats," he said.

"The disease is slightly different because the virus has changed. There is some immunity to it, with the T cells and so on, and that mix of your immune system and the virus being slightly different might give rise to a slightly different disease - with strangely enough - night sweats being a feature.”

The most common symptoms of Covid are:

  • fever (high temperature - 38 degrees Celsius or above) - including having chills
  • dry cough
  • fatigue (tiredness)

Less common symptoms of Covid include:

  • loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this could mean they're completely gone or just different from normal
  • nasal congestion (runny or blocked nose)
  • conjunctivitis (also known as red-eye or pink eye)
  • sore throat
  • headache
  • muscle or joint pain (aches and pains)
  • different types of skin rash
  • nausea or vomiting
  • diarrhoea
  • chills or dizziness

Read next:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.