IF you’ve had Covid before – then you might think you know the key signs to look for.
But with many people having been infected by previous strains such as Delta and Alpha, you might have the bug without knowing.
The mammoth vaccine rollout has helped protect millions of Brits from severe illness.
Millions have had two vaccines, so it’s key to know what the signs are in those who have some protection.
Omicron is the current strain doing the rounds, which has been proven to be milder than those that came before it.
The experts at the ZOE Symptom Tracker app have revealed the five symptoms those with two jabs are experiencing the most.
These are:
- A sore throat
- Runny news
- Blocked nose
- Persistent cough
- Headache
The experts said that fewer symptoms were reported by those who had been vaccinated.
This, they said, suggests they were falling less seriously ill and recovering at a faster rate.
If you’ve only had one jab, you’re most likely to suffer with these five symptoms:
- Headache
- Runny nose
- Sore throat
- Sneezing
- Persistent cough.
At the start of the pandemic, the NHS said the key symptoms of the bug included a high temperature, a persistent cough and a loss of taste and smell.
While these signs have evolved and changed over time, if you’re unvaccinated, the symptoms are more recognisable to those seen at the beginning of the pandemic.
These are:
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Fever
- Persistent cough.
The update on symptoms comes as data from the app revealed that cases have fallen by 11 per cent in the last week.
There are currently an estimated 209,243 infections, down from 235,829 last week.
The decrease in cases, the medics say, indicates that the current wave has peaked.
Rates seem to have fallen in all age groups, with infections in those aged 0-17 dropping the most.
Data released by NHS England today also revealed that the rate of hospital admissions is also slowing.
Professor Tim Spector of Kings College London, who is the expert behind the ZOE Symptom Tracker app has said we could see a fresh wave in January.
Prof Spector said cases could drift down to as low as 80,000 a day in the coming weeks.
Speaking to the i, he said he has ‘no idea’ why they have done this – but said it’s good news for those looking to gather during the festive period.
“But it means we probably will have a few weeks’ respite as the rates drop until January, so at the moment it’s looking like we might have a relatively peaceful Christmas, which is one time in particular when you do want rates to be low,” Prof Spector added.
However, he said the next peak, which could be witnessed in January, may exceed previous records of 350,000 daily cases.
