In the return to normal life after Christmas and New Year, many will feel exhausted getting back into the swing of things.
That post-festive slump could just be the January blues, but fatigue may well also be a symptom of coronavirus, reports Wales Online.
People should be warned to stay away from others if they have symptoms, says Tim Spector, professor of epidemiology at King's College London.
Prof Spector is co-founder of the ZOE Covid app which has identified eight Omicron symptoms among its millions of users.
According to the ZOE Covid Study, symptoms of Omicron are sneezing, fatigue, scratchy throat, runny nose, headache, lower back pain, night sweats and body aches and loss of appetite.
But after the festive period, many could have attributed a lack of energy to a post-festive comedown.
Covid and Omicron symptoms
The Government has been urged to update the list of symptoms by Prof Spector who has been calling for a change since the emergence of the Delta variant.
He told medical trade journal BMJ: "The messaging from the government is just not clear on this.
"I think most people know what cold-like symptoms are. I would probably just add: 'Have you got cold-like symptoms?'
"We need to educate people, go back to the basics, and say that if you’ve got cold-like symptoms keep away from people. You shouldn't be waiting for the three classic symptoms."
The Department of Health and Social Care for England said: "Since the start of the pandemic we have acknowledged Covid-19 has a much longer list of symptoms than the ones used in the case definition, and experts keep the list of symptoms under review."
The official advice is to get tested if you display the main symptoms of coronavirus, which the NHS lists as:
- a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
