Cold-like symptoms have become a hallmark of Covid with the rise of Omicron.
They differ from the 'classic' Covid symptoms of raised temperature, persistent cough and a loss of taste and smell.
Omicron makes up for over 90 per cent of Covid cases in Scotland, so knowing the symptoms is key - and one is 'particularly' showing up in fully vaccinated people, reports the Daily Express.
Although cases are down from the peak of the Omicron wave, Nicola Sturgeon said the number of Covid cases are 'still exceptionally high' in the country.
Professor Tim Spector, the lead scientist on the ZOE Covid Study, which has monitored the movements of the pandemic via millions of app users, wrote in newsGP that Omicron is continuing the trend from Delta with a number of other symptoms.
The new variant is highly infectious, but its symptoms are often similar to the cold.
Prof Spector said the appearance of the Delta variant came with a shift in the most frequently reported symptoms, with cold-like symptoms - including a runny nose, sore throat and persistent sneezing – becoming more common, as well as a headache and cough, particularly in people who had been vaccinated.
And this trend has continued with Omicron, he said: "It's causing symptoms that are much more like a regular cold, particularly in people who’ve been vaccinated, and fewer general systemic symptoms, such as nausea, muscle pains, diarrhoea and skin rashes."
The top five symptoms reported in the ZOE app were:
- Runny nose
- Headache
- Fatigue (either mild or severe)
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
Prof Spector and his team conducted an initial analysis of symptom data from positive cases in London, which had a higher prevalence of Omicron compared to other regions at the time.
The ZOE team found that only half of people with Covid had any of the classic three symptoms of fever, cough or loss of sense of smell.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here .
