The loss of free Covid tests in the UK has made it entirely difficult for Britons to isolate themselves if they develop symptoms. According to the latest data from the ZOE Covid Study app, which tracks Covid’s symptom profile from thousands of user submissions each week, runny nose is the leading symptom currently occurring in the UK, accounting for 83 per cent. of all accidental cases. Followed by fatigue (71%) and sore throat (69%). According to Professor Tim Spector, who heads ZOE Covid, if you do not have a runny nose, fatigue or sore throat, then your chances of being Covid are actually “quite small”. READ MORE: Covid Test: When should you take a lateral flow test? – and where you can buy them “The symptoms are very similar to those of other illnesses, such as the common cold and the flu,” explains the health agency. He says you should try to stay home and avoid contact with other people if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or either:
You have a high temperature You do not feel well enough to go to work or do your normal activities.
“Take special care to avoid close contact with anyone who is at greater risk of becoming seriously ill than COVID-19.”
Is the tide turning?
Some 4.4 million people tested positive for Covid in the UK this week up to April 9, up from almost 4.9 million last week. This is about one in 15 people who are positive for the virus, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The study tests thousands of people at random – whether they have symptoms or not – to assess how many viruses there are in the country. The figures are moderately optimistic. The number of infected remains very high, despite the 10 percent drop recorded by the ONS. Sarah Crofts, of the ONS, said: “In most parts of the UK, infections have fortunately begun to decline. “It is too early to say whether we have overcome the peak of infections and the overall infections remain high.”