As Omicron symptoms are being uncovered, the new variant comes at the time of what would normally just be cold and flu season.
During autumn this year, reports of the 'worst cold ever' began spreading people began socialising more indoors.
As the Covid cases and the new variant spread alongside the common cold and flu, people will need to be able to tell the difference, The Mirror reports.
Even if Omicron cases are more mild, soaring Omicron and Delta cases spell an "emergency situation" for the NHS, a senior WHO official warned.
Omicron is understood to be two to four times as transmissible than the Delta variant.
So, how can you tell the difference between the cold, Covid and the new Omicron variant? Here's what you need to know.
What are the symptoms of Omicron?
The symptoms of the Omicron variant of coronavirus appear to be very different from previous strains, according to researchers.
Some are reporting mild symptoms that are different to the Delta strain.
Early reports show Omicron has five district symptoms of its own, which are:
- A scratchy throat (as opposed to a sore throat)
- A dry cough
- Extreme tiredness
- Mild muscle aches
- Night sweats
However, according to the NHS website, there are still three main recognised symptoms of Covid. They are:
- A high temperature
- A new, continuous cough
- A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
An early symptom profile of Omicron by US researchers at the CDC identified a cough in 90 per cent of cases.
Professor Tim Spector of King's College London and the ZOE Covid App shared the symptoms of one ZOE user: nausea, slight temperature, sore throats and headaches.
What are the symptoms of a cold?
According to the NHS, the symptoms of a cold can come on gradually, and include:
- A blocked or runny nose
- A sore throat
- Headaches
- Muscle aches
- Coughs
- A raised temperature
- Pressure in your ears and face
- Loss of taste and smell
How can you tell the difference between a cold and Covid?
As many of the symptoms of Covid and a cold are the same, it can be tricky to know which ones you have.
Prof Spector previously appeared on This Morning to clear up any confusion.
He explained to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: "Many people - perhaps up to half of cases - are going unrecognised because they basically have symptoms that are very cold-like.
"So headache, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing - and the only one that gets into the top five is loss of smell or taste.
"We're now seeing that fever is very low down on the ranking of what we're seeing at the moment. Even rarer are things like shortness of breath or a persistent cough.
"It's a combination of factors but we've got to face the reality which is, most people out there with Covid are presenting with cold-like symptoms."
What should you do if you have Covid symptoms?
It's incredibly important that if you have any of the symptoms of Covid-19, including the ones associated with Omicron, you should get tested.
Prof Spector said it was more important than ever to get tested.
Data from the ZOE study app suggests that about half of all the Delta cases are being "missed" because they don't present the "classic" Covid symptoms.
He added: "Omicron is probably more, much more similar to the mild variants we’re seeing in people who have been vaccinated with delta than anything else.
"And so it is going to be producing cold-like symptoms that people won’t recognise as Covid if they just believe the official government advice."
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