Three most common Covid symptoms revealed – and only one is on official list
THE three most common Covid symptoms currently affecting Brits have been revealed - and only one remains from the original NHS list.
Brits are reporting different symptoms now compared to the start of the pandemic, after the rise of several new variants.
New data from the Office for National Statistics shows people who catch the bug now mostly report a cough, fatigue and a headache.
This is a change from the original three symptoms of a cough, fever and loss of taste or smell.
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.
Dozens more symptoms are now associated with having the virus, with the change in symptoms down to new variants and millions now being vaccinated.
Scientists behind the ZOE Symptom Tracker App 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 urged anyone who has been jabbed and is now suffering from sneezing, a headache, runny nose and a sore throat to get a test.
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Rhiannon Yapp, ONS statistician for the Covid-19 Infection Survey, said: “This latest ONS data shows that the main symptoms continue to be a cough, fatigue and headache and we have not seen evidence of a difference in symptoms between the Delta and other variants.
“The number of people getting reinfected with Covid remains low and if a person is reinfected, the second infection is likely to be milder.
“The ONS survey will continue to collect information from our valued participants to provide important information on infections, antibodies and characteristics of those infected.”
The latest ONS study also found 40 per cent of Brits who had a positive test had no symptoms.
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.
So far 46.6 million Brits have had a first dose of a vaccine, with 37.4 million having had a second.
It comes after the same ONS study found Covid has started to show signs it's turning into a milder illness for people who have been infected before.
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Those who had previously battled the killer bug suffered far less a second time around, with lower viral loads.
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It also meant they were less likely to spread the virus and become ill.
This indicates that immunity is kicking in from both the vaccine rollout and natural infections, and is a promising sign for Britain's path through the pandemic.
