Covid infection rates have been falling in the UK since early January, but the decline is now coming to a halt.
Cases of coronavirus were soaring due to the new Omicron variant, but helped largely by the booster rollout, cases started to fall.
It has also been found that Omicron causes milder infection, and hospital admissions and deaths remain relatively low – however it is highly transmissible.
It’s important to be aware of Omicron symptoms to avoid the further spread of the virus, especially as UK health officials are now monitoring a new Covid-19 strain.
Nicknamed ‘stealth Omicron’, it appears to be more contagious than the original, and is spreading faster than the original variant.
What are the symptoms of Omicron?
Omicron is a variant of Covid, which means the classic symptoms are a new, continuous cough, a fever and a loss of smell/taste, according to the NHS.
However, scientists behind the ZOE Covid symptom app have revealed people testing positive for Omicron are logging symptoms more closely associated with the common cold.
The top five symptoms found in in positive cases are:
- Runny nose
- Headache
- Fatigue (mild or severe)
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
However, there are two lesser known symptoms that it is important to be aware of – back pain and dizziness.
Dr Ann Mary, Consultant, General Medicine, Amrita Hospital, Kochi, told IANS: “Back pain, though common in most viral fevers, but compared to Delta, Omicron patients tend to have more back pain and less loss of smell and taste.
“A significant number of these patients are having back-breaking pain in the lower back and severe myalgia which is adding to the patient's woes.”
The NHS also reports that dizziness can be a sign of Covid, although it’s perhaps a lesser known symptom.
They describe the dizziness as a “sensation of spinning or an altered sense of motion often called vertigo” and “lightheadedness”.
The NHS notes that this can occur “during the acute phase of the infection, during recovery or as part of Long Covid symptoms.”
What to do if you think you have Covid
If you have any of these symptoms, especially the three 'classic' symptoms, you should book a free PCR test, and self isolate until you have the result.
You should only leave your home to get tested, but there are a select few other reasons you can leave self isolation.
Lateral Flow tests should only be used if you don't have any symptoms.
