Scientists have revealed a handful of 'surprising' Omicron symptoms that have appeared in people infected with the new variant.
The NHS has not released an 'official' list of Omicron variant symptoms yet as Covid case numbers across the UK soar to record highs.
Researchers at ZOE Covid Symptom study, King's College London, have been working hard to identify some early and unusual symptoms of the new strain as more people test positive.
Among the less common symptoms reported was a loss of appetite, according to The Daily Express.
Brain fog was also commonly reported in the data. A vague term to describe a sense of confusion, forgetfulness, and a lack of focus and mental clarity.
The analysis revealed that only 50 per cent of people experienced the classic three Covid symptoms of fever, cough, or loss of sense of smell or taste.
It comes after top doctors in South Africa - where the variant was first detected - have found that patients have also been getting night sweats as they sleep.
The top five Omicron symptoms reported in the ZOE app were:
- runny nose
- headache
- fatigue (either mild or severe)
- sneezing
- sore throat
Using the most recent data from London, where Omicron is higher than any other region in the UK, data scientists analysed symptoms from positive cases recorded previously.
These findings line up with a small batch of data from contributors who reported that their positive PCR results were suspected or confirmed Omicron infections.
Every report in the app builds on this data and the scientists will be conducting more research into the symptom profile of Omicron in the coming weeks.
"This may come as a surprise to some, as the UK government never updated guidance on Covid symptoms beyond the classic three symptoms. Many months ago, the ZOE Covid Study helped to identify over 20, mostly mild, cold-like symptoms," noted the ZOE scientists.
Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist on the ZOE COVID Study app, said: "Omicron is set to be the dominant strain in the UK by Christmas, and in the New Year cases could hit a peak higher than anything we’ve ever seen before.
"Hopefully people now recognise the cold-like symptoms which appear to be the predominant feature of Omicron.
"These are the changes that will slow the spread of the virus. It’s my hope that the rest of the country is doing the same to avoid big outbreaks outside of London, especially in big cities."
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