The country saw a 43 percent jump in coronavirus cases in early June, which was caused by people gathering to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee over a four-day weekend. A month later, the numbers remain high, with the surge being driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron, the strain that spread rapidly across the UK in December 2021 and January 2022 before gradually receding. “We’re in a wave right now,” said Professor Tim Spector of the ZOE Covid App. “[We’re] heading towards a quarter of a million cases a day, that’s already a wave.” “We’ve relaxed everything, most people don’t think there’s a Covid problem right now, most people don’t wear masks or even worry about cold-like symptoms.” Here, we take a look at some of the most common symptoms associated with Omicron and its progeny for the fully vaccinated – and two early warning signs you might have it. The most common symptoms for the fully vaccinated Researchers in Norway conducted a study by interviewing 111 of 117 guests at a party on November 26, 2021 where there was an Omicron outbreak. Of the group questioned, 66 had definite cases of Covid and 15 had probable cases of the virus. Of the 111 participants, 89 percent had received two doses of mRNA vaccine, and none had received a booster. According to the findings, published in the Eurosurveillance journal of infectious diseases and epidemiology, there were eight main symptoms experienced by the group of fully vaccinated spectators. These were: persistent cough, runny nose, fatigue, sore throat, headache, muscle pain, fever and sneezing. The study found that cough, runny nose and fatigue were among the most common symptoms in vaccinated people, while sneezing and fever were less common. A medical associate administers a coronavirus vaccine at Elland Road in Leeds (Danny Lawson/PA) Public health experts have also added nausea to this list of symptoms in vaccinated people infected with the Omicron variant. Although the vaccine protects against the more serious risks of the virus, it is still possible to get Covid even if you get both vaccines and a booster shot. The mild nature of the symptoms makes it difficult for people to distinguish the virus from a common cold. But according to Professor Spector, about 50 percent of the “new colds” currently are actually Covid. Two early warning signs you may have Omicron Experts also suggest that there are two distinct symptoms that could be a sign that a positive test is just around the corner: fatigue and dizziness or fainting. More than just feeling tired, fatigue can translate into physical pain causing aching or weak muscles, headaches and even blurred vision and loss of appetite. Dr Angelique Coetzee, a private practitioner and president of the South African Medical Association, told Good Morning Britain that fatigue was one of the main symptoms of Omicron when the variant broke out in South Africa. Passengers wearing face coverings leave a London Underground train (AFP/Getty) In fact, 40 percent of women reported experiencing fatigue due to Covid compared to a third of men, according to a WebMD poll that asked users how often they had experienced fatigue from December 23, 2021 to January 4, 2022. Dizziness or fainting is the second sign that you may have Omicron. A report from Germany recently suggested there could be a link between fainting spells and Omicron, after doctors in Berlin found that Covid was triggering repeated episodes of dizziness in a 35-year-old patient who was admitted to hospital. German newspaper Arztezeitung reported that doctors could see a “clear link” between the infection and the fainting spells.
