At the moment nearly five million Brits have symptomatic Covid in the UK, according to the latest data from the ZOE Health Study. According to Professor Spector, head of the ZOE Health Study, there are currently “twice as many cases of covid than common colds – the ratio has never been higher “.
On Twitter he called back attention to warning signs that can help distinguish Covid from a common cold. In general, Britons affected by Covid are more likely to report fatigue, the professor noted. Everyone feels tired from time to time. But, after a good night’s sleep, most people feel refreshed and ready to take on a new day. But if you are constantly feeling tired, despite a good night’s sleep, then this could be a symptom of Covid.
Likewise, a sore throat it is more commonly reported in people with Covid than a normal cold, Professor Spector noted. If you notice the symptoms above, “assume” it is Covid, he wrote. And he explained: “Try taking the test if you can. If you can’t take the test, assume you have a cold and stay away from other people until you feel better ”.
The most common cold-like symptoms currently reported are: runny nose, sore throat, headache, persistent cough, mild and severe fatigue.
According to the professor, Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 are behind the latest increase in cases. These variants are violating the immune defenses much more significantly than previous variants. In addition to evading the immune defenses, these strains are also “dampening” them so that they don’t have that inflammation in the beginning to stop it, Professor Spector explained.
It should be noted that this does not make vaccines ineffective. The current virus may be more transmissible, but it generally causes milder disease, and the COVID-19 vaccines are largely to thank. In fact, current vaccines protect against serious illness, hospitalization and death due to infection with the Omicron variant.