50% OF PEOPLE WITH COLD IN UK LIKELY TO HAVE COVID

Fri 24 December 2021:

Researchers have cautioned that patients with a sore throat and a runny nose may have Covid as incidence of Omicron increase in the UK. Half of those with cold-like symptoms, according to the Zoe Covid study team, had Covid.

The researchers describe it as a “explosion” of Covid cases, claiming that 144,000 people catch the dangerous virus every day and become ill.

Two studies published on Wednesday based on UK hospital data suggested the variant is significantly milder than Delta but it can still cause serious illness in some people.

Lead scientist Professor Tim Spector has urged anyone with cold-like symptoms to take a test.

Lead scientist Prof Tim Spector, in a report by BBC, said, “The number of new symptomatic cases has exploded over the last week. For most people, an Omicron positive case will feel much more like the common cold, starting with a sore throat, runny nose and a headache. You only need to ask a friend who has recently tested positive to find this out. We need to change public messaging urgently to save lives.”

Despite an increase in Covid cases, UK Health Minister Sajid Javid has indicated that no additional restrictions will be announced after the holidays. “We’re clear that there’s no need for any further restrictions of any type before Christmas but of course, we will keep the situation under review,” he said.

In London, about one in 30 people was likely to test positive in the week to December 16 — the highest proportion for any region.

The Zoe app calculated the figures by comparing the number of new cases of a cold-like illness to the number of new cases of confirmed Covid.

Javid went on to say that the situation would be monitored. “We will keep analysing that data and if we need to do anything more we will, but nothing more is going to happen before Christmas,” he said.

The UK has been affected the worst by the threat of the Omicron variant, with over 10,000 additional Omicron cases reported so far. This is contributing to the rise of Covid in the country.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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