Runny nose and sore throat may be a common symptom for 1 in 3 people with COVID – 19 as per a study at the King's College London. Experts warn that people with any signs of a cold (such as a runny nose or a sore throat) are expected to self-isolate and stay safe at home until they acquire a negative COVID test result for further curbing the spread of Omicron variant.
‘Runny nose and sore throat may be common symptoms for 1 in 3 people with COVID – 19.’
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People must "not wait for the loss of smell or taste which may never come, not wait for fever, not wait for that persistent cough", adds Professor Tim Spector from King's College London. It is stated that cold/ flu symptoms may typically resolve from 3 to 7 days followed by generalized fatigue up to 2 weeks, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In addition, COVID-19 symptoms classically appear 2 to 14 days post exposure, lasting up to 2 weeks (varies by person). Hence, it is vital to get yourself tested via PCR to spot the difference between a common cold and COVID-19 infection.
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The UK must be "much more open-minded about who we are testing" and "get more people to isolate at least for a few days with cold-like symptoms. That's quite a high rate of people that are currently not even bothered to get a lateral flow test, or getting a PCR test, going to parties and spreading it around. So if that transfers to Omicron then we're going to be compounding that problem much faster than we would need to," says Spector.
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However, it might be ideal to stay on guard to completely anticipate the vaccine immunity against Omicron.
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