A sore throat might be the top symptom that suggests someone has coronavirus, according to new data. The next most prevalent symptoms are headache and blocked nose, the Zoe Covid study has suggested.
The figures indicate the next most common signs are a cough, hoarse voice, sneezing, fatigue and muscle aches. However, symptoms such as a fever or loss of smell - which were once considered some of the most characteristic signs of the virus - were among the least reported symptoms.
According to the study, as of July 11 there were 349,773 new daily symptomatic cases of Covid-19 in the UK, but there are signs the number of cases is dropping.
Professor Tim Spector, Zoe scientific co-founder and lead scientist on the Zoe Health Study, said: "Covid is still rampant in the population. 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."
He added that cases will not rise indefinitely and "we're already seeing a slight drop in numbers day to day".
According to the Zoe study, the top 20 Covid symptoms reported in the last week by 17,500 people who tested positive were:
- Sore throat - 58%
- Headache - 49%
- Blocked nose - 40%
- Cough no phlegm - 40%
- Runny nose - 40%
- Cough with phlegm - 37%
- Hoarse voice - 35%
- Sneezing - 32%
- Fatigue - 27%
- Muscle pains/aches - 25%
- Dizzy light-headed - 18%
- Swollen neck glands - 15%
- Eye soreness - 14%
- Altered smell - 13%
- Chest pain tightness - 13%
- Fever - 13%
- Chills or shivers - 12%
- Shortness of breath - 11%
- Earache - 11%
- Loss of smell - 10%
