The 5 most common Covid symptoms

THE five most common Covid symptoms have been revealed today.

Only one is part of the NHS’s original three virus symptoms to watch out for.

 

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Experts have continued to call for more to be added to the official list, with only loss of smell or taste, a fever and a cough still on there.

If Brits are suffering these three symptoms, they must get a PCR test under official NHS guidance.

But experts have long called for the Government to update the list – so that Brits get a PCR test if they suffer other symptoms.

The scientists behind the ZOE Covid Study App found the latest data shows the top five are more cold-like symptoms.

They are a runny nose, headache, sneezing, sore throat and loss of smell.

Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist on the ZOE Covid Study app, said: “For 521 days, ZOE and King’s College London have demanded cold and flu-like symptoms be recognised as common Covid -19 symptoms and communicated widely as in other countries.

“With UK rates the highest in Europe, if the government continues with no restrictions, surely we should at least help people to recognise the symptoms early and know when to stay at home.”

Brits are reporting different symptoms now compared to the start of the pandemic, after the rise of several new variants.

Dozens more symptoms are now associated with having the virus, with the change in symptoms down to new variants and millions now being vaccinated.

ZOE scientists think there are at least 21 symptoms of Covid now, after Delta variant became the dominant variant in the UK.

They also found four key symptoms to watch out for in people who have been vaccinated – with the illness generally milder and more cold-like.

The experts have urged anyone who has been jabbed and is now suffering from sneezing, a headache, runny nose and a sore throat to get a test.

It’s important that if you think you have caught Covid that you get tested and isolate.

No vaccine is 100 per cent effective, but Covid jabs help to protect people from severe disease and hospitalisation.

The new ZOE figures showed there are currently 51,876 new daily symptomatic cases of Covid in the UK.

In the fully vaccinated, it’s estimated there are 17,674 new daily symptomatic cases. Cases in this group had been rising steadily but have now stabilised, with last week’s figure being 17,342.

New cases are the highest among the 0-18 and 18-35 year olds.

It comes after a new Covid variant that could be resistant to vaccines has infected over 50 people in the UK.

The Mu variant – known as B.1.621, was last week labelled as a ‘variant of interest’ by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Data from Public Health England (PHE) shows that the variant is thought to be most prevalent in London, where 23 cases have been detected.

The spread of the Mu variant comes as it was today warned that Britain could face a ‘firebreak’ lockdown at October half term as a ‘last resort’.