One symptom is frequently being reported by people who catch Covid-19 after being vaccinated. And it is being reported far more in people who are infected after receiving their booster jab than in unvaccinated people who test positive.
Vaccinations don't prevent people from catching Covid. But they they greatly reduce the severity of its impact. And one symptom appears to be sticking out like a sore thumb in those who have protected themselves from the worst of the virus by getting jabbed.
The Express reports that Twitter is awash with stories from people reporting regular sneezing fits after testing positive for Covid once they've been vaccinated. One user going under the name of Illumiell posted: "I'm glad I got my Flu and COVID booster a month ago.
"This is literally exactly the timing which saved my a** from possibly a really bad time AGAIN. So far I only had sneezing, some fatigue, and now a sore throat that has been mild and rapidly diminishing."
Another user, iamofdaniel, wrote: "Lots of coughing and sneezing at the airport today. I’m glad I recently had covid plus got my updated booster and flu shots!"
But the reports aren't just anecdotal. Research from the ZOE COVID Study app, which records and analyses symptoms of the virus, also revealed sneezing bouts as a symptom almost exclusively found among people after they'd been vaccinated.
ZOE scientists noticed that people who had been jabbed and then tested positive for Covid-19 were "more likely" to report sneezing as a symptom compared with those without a jab. They wrote: "If you’ve been vaccinated and start sneezing a lot without an explanation, you should get a Covid test, especially if you are living or working around people who are at greater risk from the disease."
Sneezing is one way that viruses infect other people. The ZOE team added: "Try to cover all coughs and sneezes with tissue or the inside of your elbow to minimise the spread of droplets."
The advice went on: "Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth until you wash your hands. Sneezing a lot could be a potential sign that someone vaccinated has COVID-19 and, however mild, should take a test and self-isolate to protect their friends, family and colleagues."
The current ranking of Covid symptoms among people who have been vaccinated twice are: sore throat; runny nose; blocked nose; persistent cough; headache. Generally, similar symptoms of Covid-19 are being reported overall in the ZOE app by people who had and hadn’t been vaccinated.
However, fewer symptoms were reported over a shorter period of time by those who had already had a jab, suggesting that they were falling less seriously ill and getting better more quickly. The previous "traditional" symptoms as still outlined on the Government website, such as anosmia (loss of smell), shortness of breath and fever rank way down the list.
A persistent cough now ranks at number five if you’ve had two vaccine doses, so is no longer the top indicator of having Covid. It's perfectly natural for symptoms to change over the course of a pandemic.
As with all viruses, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus which causes COVID-19 is rapidly evolving both its ability to spread and infect people, as well as the symptoms it causes. There are a few reasons why symptoms may be changing, including the fact that those who have been vaccinated experience less severe symptoms, as well as more cases being reported by younger people, who we have found experience different, less severe symptoms as well.
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