The country saw a 43 percent spike in coronavirus cases in early June, apparently caused by people gathering to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee over a four-day weekend. Driven by Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 – the strain that spread so rapidly across the UK in December 2021 and January 2022 before gradually disappearing – cases continued to rise to a peak of around 4.6 million cases in mid-July before gradually starting to decline. While August finds Britain in a much better position in terms of infections, close to just 120,000 per day according to the ZOE Health Study, the recent surge was a timely reminder that Covid is not gone and we still need to be vigilant as new mutations continue to appear around the world. The approval of Moderna’s new Omicron-specific vaccine is a welcome development for the UK, and the vaccine could end up playing an important role in any further vaccine efforts to come. With that in mind, what follows is an overview of some of the more common symptoms associated with this variant and its offspring for the fully vaccinated – and two early warning signs that you may 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. A medical associate administers a coronavirus vaccine at Elland Road in Leeds (Danny Lawson/PA) 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. Public health experts have also added nausea to this list of symptoms in vaccinated people infected with the Omicron variant. Even though 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 Tim Spector of the Zoe Covid Project, around 50 per cent of ‘new colds’ currently are, in fact, 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 citizen 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 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.
