THE BUZZ | Omicron: Half of colds will be Covid, BBC reports citing research

If you have a sore throat, runny nose and a headache there is a good chance it will be Covid, warn UK researchers, as quoted by BCC last night.

The Zoe Covid study team has been tracking the pandemic using feedback from the general public, and estimates 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.

About 144,000 people a day are catching it and then feeling unwell.

For most, Covid is a mild disease. Some get no symptoms at all.

But it can still cause very serious illness in some people, including those who have not been vaccinated.

If you have cold-like symptoms, take a Covid test, says lead scientist Prof Tim Spector, as quoted by BBC.

“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.”