According to the results of a survey of 17,500 Britons diagnosed with coronavirus last week, the main symptoms of the disease are sore throat and cough. Other common manifestations of COVID-19 include headache and nasal congestion. And here, high fever, loss of taste or smell – in other words, the very symptoms that the U.K. National Health Service cites as key to diagnosing COVID-19 – are much less common in new patients.
Coronavirus patients are also more likely to complain of hoarseness, sneezing, increased fatigue, and muscle aches. Overall, according to the results of the Zoe App survey, the top 20 most common symptoms of COVID-19 are as follows (from more common to less common):
1. Sore throat
2. Cough
3. Headache
4. Nasal congestion
5. Hoarseness
6. Sneezing
7. Increased fatigue
8. Muscle aches
Very similar results are shown by other similar scientific papers. During the React-1 study, conducted at Imperial College London, tests for COVID were mailed monthly to 150,000 randomly selected British individuals. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. Episodes The end of the story: Advertising Podcasts His results show that as the coronavirus pandemic progressed, the list of key symptoms of the disease changed. According to scientists, this is most likely related to mutations in the Sars-Cov-2 virus, i.e. changes in its genetic code.
Since early 2020, when the first original strain was detected in Wuhan, the virus has evolved into several other major variants, the latest of which is “Omicron”. According to the Imperial College team, infection with this variant is much less likely to cause loss of smell or taste. The symptoms of most coronavirus patients are more like a cold or flu.
In March 2022, the most prevalent variants of the virus in the UK were two subtypes of “Omicron,” known by the codenames BA.1 and BA.2. Since then, the virus has mutated several times, and to date, the majority of new infections are associated with the more contagious BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
The team of scientists calculated that around 2.7 million people in the UK are currently infected with the coronavirus – about 1 in 25. According to principal investigator Professor Tim Spector, it is too early to dismiss COVID-19. “Even if a person has already had COVID-19 and has received all [three – 2+booster] required vaccinations, there is still a chance of being infected again,” he warns.
“So, even if the weather is beautiful outside, everyone should decide for themselves how justified it is to attend large events (with a large number of people), work from the office, or use public transportation from the point of view of the risk of infection,” he concludes. Until recently, both Zoe and React-1 were funded by the British government.