Is sore throat a symptom of Covid and how long does it last?

From spiking at the beginning of the year due to the Omicron variant, and then again in June during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend, Covid-19 infections have been peaking and falling throughout 2022.

However, Covid has not gone away completely, with around 145,000 cases still occurring a day, according to the ZOE Health Study.

In fact, recent data from the study, which allows people to report their Covid symptoms via an app, has registered one particular symptom as being the most common.

Here's everything you need to know about it.

Is sore throat a Covid symptom?

Sore throat, headache, blocked nose and cough are most common Covid symptoms according to recent data (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Recently, nearly 58% of Covid patients who used the ZOE app reported that they suffered a sore throat before testing positive for the virus.

The next most common symptoms are a headache, blocked nose and cough.

In July, when cases briefly spiked, Professor Tim Spector, who leads the ZOE project, said: “If you have any cold-like symptoms at the moment it’s nearly twice as likely to be Covid as a cold. Even if people have had a past infection and are fully vaccinated, people are still catching it."

How long does a sore throat last if you have Covid?

Experts have said that sore throat as a Covid symptom will be "relatively mild".

People have reported that the sore throat feels quite similar to what you experience while having a cold or laryngitis.

The sore throat typically appears in the first week of illness, but improves quickly.

ZOE stated: "It feels worse on the first day of infection but gets better on each following day."

Sore throat in Covid is not likely to last more than five days. So, if you're suffering from a sore throat for longer than five days then you may have another type of infection.

If your sore throat persists, it's advisable to speak with your GP about the possible cause for it.

What to do if you have Covid symptoms

You can pass Covid to other people for up to 10 days from when your infection starts. (Getty Images)

The NHS site says that if you have Covid, you can pass it to other people for up to 10 days from when your infection starts.

If you feel you have symptoms of Covid or test positive, you should:

• Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days
• Avoiding meeting people at higher risk from Covid-19 for 10 days, especially if their immune system means they’re at higher risk of serious illness from coronavirus, even if they’ve had a vaccine.