Coronavirus: As COVID-19 cases surge, expert lists down top 5 symptoms to watch out for

The sudden rise in coronavirus cases has become a source of great concern. Just when we thought things were going back to normal, the BA.2 subvariant of COVID's Omicron is wreaking havoc in many parts of the world, leaving experts and doctors highly concerned.

"Omicron is sweeping the world. It is the latest variant of concern and about 86% of the sequences that are available from the last four weeks are the BA.2 sub-lineage. The rest are BA.1," said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on COVID-19. The global health agency has declared the sub-lineage to be the dominant strain around the globe, which is said to be driving the current surge in Asia and Europe.

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Prof. Tim Spector of UK's ZOE symptoms study app took to twitter to address the uptick in COVID cases in the United Kingdom. "Most cold symptoms are now Omicron infections in the U.K. as record levels continue and we approach 300000 cases per day with no sign of a slowdown- no sign of any public health messaging but thanks for logging with Zoe!"

Additionally, he mentions that even with the rise in the number of cases, there are still "no government warnings that the top five symptoms of COVID-19 are still like a cold - even in the elderly and more vulnerable". Let us take a look at what these 5 dominant symptoms are.

As per experts, the Omicron variant affects the upper respiratory tract, which is why it leads to symptoms that resemble a common cold or a flu infection. Runny nose is said to be one of the common signs of Omicron - both BA.1 and BA.2 Stealth subvariant. Zoe COVID Symptom study suggests that runny nose along with other symptoms including a fever, headache, sore throat and sneezing could be a sign of COVID and people who experience these symptoms are recommended to get tested immediately.

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Since the current COVID-19 infections are primarily associated with the upper respiratory system including the throat and nasal cavity, one may experience pulsing, pressing, or stabbing pain in the head. Unlike a general headache, Omicron-driven headaches could last for about three days and may be accompanied by other complications and symptoms, according to experts.

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Fatigue is a common occurrence after a viral infection. However, in case of a COVID-19 infection, fatigue may linger on for weeks and months after recovery.

While with the Delta variant, symptoms like fever, persistent cough, fatigue, body pain and loss of sense of smell and taste were some of the common symptoms, with the onset of the Omicron variant, sore, 'scratchy' throat became a tell-tale sign of COVID-19, as per experts.

The UK's ZOE symptoms study app has been collecting data from people who have been affected by the SARs-COV-2 virus and its variants. With the emergence of the Omicron, the study data reveals that sneezing more than usual can be a sign of COVID, but only in people who are fully vaccinated.

“Vaccinated people experience the same kinds of symptoms as unvaccinated people do, but their illness is milder and shorter. We also know that more people have asymptomatic Covid-19 after their jab,” the Zoe study says.

“Interestingly, our data shows that people who had been vaccinated and then tested positive for Covid-19 were more likely to report sneezing as a symptom compared with those without a jab. This suggests that sneezing a lot with no explanation after you’ve been vaccinated could be a sign of Covid-19," the study adds.

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, experts emphasize taking all COVID measures. Wearing masks, maintaining social distance and following proper hand hygiene continues to remain a step to protect oneself and others from the deadly virus. Vaccinations must be prioritized at all costs. Even though breakthrough infections are a possibility, COVID vaccines are our only hope to minimize the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death.