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Irish Mirror

National

Anita McSorley

Covid Ireland: The ‘top’ warning sign now reported in 58% of cases as symptoms change

Ireland Stephen Donnelly Vaccine Niac

Covid continues to spread across Ireland with over 10,000 new cases confirmed in the past week.

The surge is being fuelled by the highly transmissible BA.4 and BA.5 variants, which are also causing infections to spike across the globe.

As the virus evolves, so too has its symptoms.

Scientists have pinpointed the ‘top’ warning sign of Covid, which is reported in over half of all new cases.

According to data from 17,500 people who said they had tested positive for the virus this week, the top symptom reported was a sore throat.

Headache and blocked nose were other common signs of Covid.

According to the Zoe App study, the top 20 Covid symptoms currently are:

Sore throat - seen in 58% of patients
Headache - 49%
Blocked nose - 40%
Cough with phlegm - 37%
Hoarse voice - 35%
Sneezing - 32%
Fatigue - 27%
Muscle pains/ache - 25%
Dizzy light-headed - 18%
Swollen neck glands - 15%
Eye soreness - 14%
Altered smell - 13%
Chest pain tightness - 13%
Fever - 13%
Chills or shivers - 12%
Shortness of breath - 11%
Earache - 11%
Loss of smell - 10 %

It marks a significant change from the HSE's original list of top Covid symptoms, which remain as: fever, dry cough and fatigue.

Professor Tim Spector, who’s in the charge of the Zoe Health Study, commented: "Covid is still rampant in the population. Even if people have had a past infection and are fully vaccinated, people are still catching it."

It comes as Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has accepted new recommendations from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee regarding Ireland's Covid vaccination programme.

Stock image of a woman with a negative Covid test (Ben Birchall/PA Wire)

The new recommendations will see people aged over 65 being offered a third booster dose of the Covid vaccine.

NIAC has also recommended that a second booster dose be offered to people aged between 50 and 64 and to people in the 12 to 49 age group who have underlying medical conditions or who are residents of long term care facilities.

Healthcare workers and pregnant women will also be offered a second MRNA booster vaccine.

Those aged over 65 and people aged between 12 and 64 who are immunocompromised will be offered a third dose under the new recommendations.

A first MRNA booster dose will also be available for immunocompromised children between 5 and 11 years of age.

NIAC has also recommended that Covid vaccines may be given at the same time as the seasonal influenza vaccines and that booster doses should be given four months after a previous Covid vaccine dose or a previous natural infection.

In a statement, the Department of Health said: "A booster dose after an infection has been shown to provide additional protection. It continues to be recommended that people get and complete their primary vaccine course and booster shot(s) if they haven't already done so."

Speaking on the new recommendations, Minister Donnelly said: "I welcome today's update to Ireland's vaccination programme. We have very high protection in the population thanks to our successful vaccine programme.

"The Autumn vaccination programme will ensure we continue to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

"The evidence suggests that a second booster dose may reduce infection rates, which would benefit healthcare workers and help sustain the healthcare system coming into the winter months.

"The main purpose of vaccination is to prevent serious illness, hospitalisation and death. Hybrid immunity resulting from infection and booster vaccination confers stronger protection than infection alone. As such, I urge anyone yet to receive their primary course or booster vaccine do so as soon as possible."

Interim CMO, Professor Breda Smyth, said: "There is clear evidence that the Omicron variant has been less severe than previous variants due to the high uptake of vaccines. While we have seen a recent surge in infections, this has thankfully not translated into the same pressure on our hospitals and people getting severely unwell. COVID-19 vaccines have been remarkably effective in this regard."

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