The Omicron variant became the main one to watch for in the UK back in November - and now nearly 30 million people in China are living under lockdown as infections peak.
Brits are still testing positive and now a new study has revealed the early signs to watch out for - even when you're fully vaccinated.
A Norwegian research team discovered eight common symptoms to watch out for after analysing a break out at a party.
The team explained how, after speaking to 111 of the 117 partygoers, they found 66 people had confirmed Covid with another 15 potentially positive for it.
Of those to take part in the research, 89 per cent were double-jabbed, with none of them having a booster at the time, according to the study published in the epidemiology and infectious disease journal, Eurosurveillance.
The research showed a clear eight key symptoms that the double-jabbed partygoers experienced:
- Cough
- Sneezing
- Runny nose
- Fatigue
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- Pain
Having a runny nose, coughing and fatigue were the most common among the vaccinated, with sneezing and experiencing a fever being the least reported. Since these findings were published, public health experts have also added nausea as a symptom.
Being vaccinated protects you against the more severe risks of the virus, but it is clearly still possible to catch Covid despite having both jabs and a booster shot.
Another benefit to vaccination is that symptoms are more likely to be mild, in many cases making it hard to distinguish it from a common cold.
What are the unusual early warning signs?
Tiredness and feeling dizzy or fainting are two potential early warning signs that you have been infected.
There have also been reports from Germany showing a link between fainting spells and Omicron. German newspaper Ärztezeitung - a specialist publication aimed at the medical community - stated doctors could see a ‘clear connection’ between fainting spells and the infection.
According to the report, doctors in Berlin found that Covid was triggering repeat fainting spells for a 35-year-old patient admitted to hospital.
Meanwhile, a poll by health website Web MD found that 40 per cent of women reported they struggled with tiredness due to Covid compared to a third of men.
The virus is still fairly virulent, with professor Tim Spector from the Covid-studying ZOE Symptom Study App stating around 50 per cent of “‘new colds currently are, in fact, Covid”.
