The UK continues to experience a high number of cases of the coronavirus.
Recorded Covid-19 cases are on the rise again after around 75,000 were reported on January 16, amid a downward trend.
The latest figures show positive Omicron cases have gone back up to 94,432, so it's still important for people to be able to tell when they have symptoms of the virus.
Even though the current number of Covid cases are still significantly less than the beginning of January when the total hit over 200,000, Covid deaths have soared to the highest in 11 months as a further 438 have been recorded in 24 hours.
With this in mind, it is vital cases are kept down in order for life to return to something a bit more normal. So how can you tell if you have Covid?
Main symptoms of Omicron
The ZOE COVID Symptom Study has put together data of the most common symptoms and Business Insider then used to the data to create a list of the full symptoms.
The chart is based on when the virus first started spreading among people in the UK.
The top two symptoms of Omicron were a runny nose and a headache. These cold-like symptoms are different to that of what most people experienced with the Delta variant.
73% of people had a runny nose, while 68% said they experienced a headache at some point.
Dr. Claire Steves, a scientist involved with the study, said: "The most reported symptoms of Omicron are really very much like a cold, especially in people who've been vaccinated."
The full list is as follows:
- Runny nose -73%.
- Headache - 68%
- Fatigue - 64%
- Sneezing - 60%
- Sore throat - 60%
- Persistent cough - 44%
- Hoarse voice - 36%
- Chills or shivers - 30%
- Fever - 29%
- Dizziness - 28%
- Brain fog - 24%
- Muscle pains - 23%
- Loss of smell - 19%
- Chest pain - 19%.
The list does not distinguish between the vaccinated or unvaccinated.
Why have we not seen an end to restrictions?
Omicron has proven to be slightly different to the previous variant of concern.
Now the dominant variation in the UK since December, its apparently high levels of transmissibility have seen it sweep across the UK and cause record numbers of people infected.
Vaccines and the mutation being less severe than others, according to scientists, means that deaths and hospitalisations have not reached the same levels of the height of the pandemic in 2021.
Despite this, staff shortages and high case numbers can put key services under strain and restrictions are put in place to stop them from becoming overwhelmed.
Plan B restrictions are due to expire on January 26, but a report by The Times says that face masks could stay, while vaccine passports are expected to be axed along with work-from-home guidance.
A date for the announcement by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not yet been set.
