The five most common Covid symptoms to look for as cases rise

New data has revealed the most common symptoms of a coronavirus infection right tnow.

A study by Zoe revealed that, as of July 11, there were 349,773 new daily symptomatic cases of Covid-19 in the UK. However, it also suggested that the number of cases were beginning to drop.

Among the nearly 20,000 people involved in the study, more than half suffered from a sore throat. Following this, the most prevalent symptoms included a headache and blocked nose.

Professor Tim Spector, Zoe scientific co-founder and lead scientist on the Zoe Health Study, said: “Covid is still rampant in the population.

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“Zoe Health Study data shows that there were over 350,000 daily Covid cases this week – a new record for the UK. So much so that if you have any cold-like symptoms at the moment it’s nearly twice as likely to be Covid as a cold.

“Even if people have had a past infection and are fully vaccinated, people are still catching it. This is because there are multiple Covid variants co-existing at the same time (BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5).

“The top symptoms to keep an eye on include sore throat, blocked nose and dry cough.” This is in stark contrast to what used to be considered the most common symptoms such as a fever or loss of smell - which were among the least reported symptoms.

Top five common Covid symptoms

According to the Zoe study, these are the top five most common Covid symptoms reported in the last week by 17,500 people who tested positive for the virus:

1. Sore throat - 58 per cent
2. Headache - 49 per cent
3. Blocked nose - 40 per cent
4. Cough (no phlegm) - 40 per cent
5. Runny nose - 40 per cent

Other common symptoms symptoms

• Cough with phlegm – 37 per cent
• Hoarse voice – 35 per cent
• Sneezing – 32 per cent
• Fatigue – 27 per cent
• Muscle pains/aches – 25 per cent
• Dizzy light-headed – 18 per cent
• Swollen neck glands – 15 per cent
• Eye soreness – 14 per cent
• Altered smell – 13 per cent
• Chest pain tightness – 13 per cent
• Fever – 13 per cent
• Chills or shivers – 12 per cent
• Shortness of breath – 11 per cent
• Earache – 11 per cent
• Loss of smell – 10 per cent

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