Researchers have warned that people who have a sore throat, runny nose and a headache have a good chance of being covid-19 positive.
The Zoe Covid study team, a team of researchers from the UK say they have been tracking the pandemic using feedback from the general public, and now estimate half of people with cold-like symptoms actually have Covid.
They describe an “explosion” of Covid cases over the last week, driven by the new Omicron variant.
If you have cold-like symptoms, take a Covid test, says lead scientist Prof Tim Spector.
“The number of new symptomatic cases has exploded over the last week,” he said.
“For most people, an Omicron positive case will feel much more like the common cold, starting with a sore throat, runny nose and a headache. You only need to ask a friend who has recently tested positive to find this out.
“We need to change public messaging urgently to save lives.”
The UK reported 106,122 new Covid cases on Wednesday, December 22, exceeding 100,000 on a single day for the first time.
