Experts have identified the eight most likely symptoms of the Omicron variant and when people may experience them.
The most transmissible variant of the virus yet has spread like wildfire throughout the world following its discovery, with new restrictions and limitations being put in place in the UK.
Luckily, symptoms of Omicron seem to be milder on the whole than other strains of coronavirus, particularly for those who have been vaccinated, reports the Express.
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But people can still become very ill and, in some cases, have died after contracting Omicron.
The official three symptoms of Covid according to the NHS are a new and continuous cough, a fever and a loss of taste and smell. These have stayed the same throughout the pandemic.
However, many people don’t experience any of those symptoms at all. Many people have compared Omicron’s symptoms to a common cold, with a scratchy throat and runny nose appearing among the most common symptoms.
Experts have identified eight warning signs of Omicron and warned these are most likely to come on in the early stages of the illness.
The eight early warning symptoms of Omicron according to data from the UK, US and South Africa are:
- Scratchy throat
- Lower back pain
- Runny nose/congestion
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Sneezing
- Night sweats
- Body aches
These symptoms may appear as early as two days after being exposed to someone who has Omicron.
Due to these symptoms appearing quite mild and not as severe ad the delta variant, a lot of people in the UK are failing to notice that they have the virus, reiterating the need for regular lateral flow tests before mixing with other households.
However, symptoms can take longer to appear, even up to 14 days after exposure, which is why if you’ve been exposed to the virus, you should either continue to test regularly (every day) or self-isolate for 10 days.
People with a mild case of Covid are usually unwell for about a fortnight, and of course, have to self-isolate for 10 days after testing positive.
However, many people are suffering from long Covid, where unpleasant symptoms last for months.
