Doctors warn of ‘unusual’ symptom in kids with Omicron Covid variant

PARENTS have been warned of an unusual Omicron symptom to look out for in their kids.

Young children appear to be getting rashes while infected with the new variant, a London doctor has reported.

Dr David Lloyd, a GP from north London, said he has seen about 15 per cent of youngsters with confirmed Omicron cases developing spots.

They also suffered with fatigue, headaches and a loss of appetite - which seems to fit with the most common variant symptoms reported so far in adults.

The health expert told Sky News the difference in symptoms was "quite important", along with the rash.

The doctor added the suggestion cases are doubling quickly appeared to be right, from what he is seeing, adding: "So let’s hope that it isn’t as deadly as the Delta and let’s hope that we can get on top of it. But it’s a concerning time.”

He said: "We’ve always had a small cohort of patients with Covid who are getting funny rashes, but up to 15 per cent of the Omicron children are getting an unusual rash,” he said.

“So we’re starting to learn a little bit more about the virus and we are starting to look out for it.”

🔵 Read our Omicron variant live blog for the latest news

It comes after an expert warned Covid cases could be missed as people are looking for the wrong symptoms.

The three main symptoms of Covid-19 include a new persistent cough, a high temperature and a loss of taste and smell.

But medics say signs of the Omicron variant, spreading in the UK - which could trigger Plan B being brought in - could be difficult to detect, as the main symptoms are different from those currently outlined by the NHS.

The trio of symptoms laid out by the NHS were first introduced when the pandemic hit in March 2020 and the list has stayed the same despite new strains emerging.

Medics working in South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first detected, have now said the main symptoms are fatigue, body aches and a headache.

Dr Angelique Coetzee, a private practitioner and chair of the South African Medical Association, said patients have not been reporting a loss of taste and smell.

It comes as:

• Boosters are the best way to protect you and your loved ones - with early data showing they help beat Omicron
• Join the Sun's Jab's Army to help get boosters in arms and fight the variant
• The WHO says vaccines 'should' work against Omicron - with disease less severe
• Lockdowns 'can't be ruled out' but No 10 says no need for Plan B yet
• Know the signs of Omicron: Variant symptoms are different to the classic Covid trio

Other experts have also warned the symptoms will differ.

King's College London's Professor Tim Spector, who is also the lead on the ZOE Symptom Tracker App, has long called for additional symptoms to be added to the official NHS list.

Delta is still the dominant variant in the UK, but Omicron is spreading, with new estimates claiming cases could hit 90,000 by Christmas.

However, efforts are still being made to fully understand the new variant, which has only been known about for two weeks.

Scientists think it could spread more easily and might be able to evade vaccines, but still need to carry out more tests.