Covid-19 Ireland: First symptom of Omicron that you can hear

Something that’s become obvious as Omicron spreads across the country, is that the symptoms for this variant are far from ordinary.

Headaches? Body aching? Tiredness? Sneezing? They're all signs that you shouldn't be taking lightly.

With previous variants, experts were able to narrow it down to a handful of symptoms like a persistent cough or a high temperature.

Known to present those infected with cold-like symptoms, other common things people infected with the Omicron variant include runny nose, dry/scratchy throat, headache, fatigue and sneezing, a study from health science company Zoe revealed.

And now, people are discovering that one of the first warning signs of Omicron is something you can hear, according to experts.

What is the Omicron symptom you can hear and how do Omicron symptoms vary from other variants?

A runny noise, sore throat and a headache are increasingly being reported as the first symptoms that some Omicron sufferers are feeling.

Omicron sufferers will often hear the first new symptom to indicate that they have been infected with coronavirus as the variant has been linked with a scratchy throat, which can cause you to develop a hoarse or scratchy voice.

However, Professor Tim Spector, the scientist behind symptom tracker app Zoe, described the symptoms of Omicron as being more similar to that of a common cold.

This means it's much easier to miss if you're infected with Omicron, with Prof. Spector warning anyone with cold-like symptoms to take a Covid test to make sure.

What should I do if I think I have Covid symptoms?

If you believe that you have Covid or are experiencing any symptoms, the HSE advises that you should :

1. Get a PCR test as soon as possible.
2. Stay at home and self-isolate. You should not have visitors until you get your test result and only leave your home to have a test. You should also check if people you live with need to self-isolate.

Anyone who has Covid can infect others from around two days before symptoms start for up to 10 days after. You can pass infections on to others, even if you mild or no symptoms which is why government guidance recommends we stay-at-home until we test negative.