Winter illnesses are starting to rear their ugly head as the colder season gets underway in the UK.
Colds and flu circulate more easily in the autumn and winter months as we start to spend more time indoors, and figures show Covid rates are already on the rise. Recent data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows rates have been climbing in the UK over the last two months, with experts warning there is a degree of widespread community transmission.
Hospital admissions in England have also hit their highest level since the end of April, with the recent surge coinciding with the detection of a new variant. Just 37 cases of the BA.2.86 strain – a new subvariant of Omicron known as ‘Pirola’ – have been identified in England so far, 28 of which have been linked to an outbreak in a care home in Norfolk at the end of last month.
Read more: Telltale signs to tell Covid symptoms apart from a cold and flu
Seven of these cases were hospitalised but no deaths due to Covid have been reported, and the variant has not yet been classed as a “variant of concern”.
But the UKHSA says the recent rise in Covid rates is an early indicator that the new variant may be sufficiently transmissible to have impact in close contact settings. As such, it is worth being aware of the latest symptoms and how long you’re likely to be contagious if you catch the virus so you can take precautions to avoid passing it onto others.
According to the latest data from the ZOE Health Study, these are the most common symptoms of Covid right now:
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Runny or blocked nose
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Headache
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Fatigue
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Sore throat
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Sneezing
Other signs might also include a cough (with or without phlegm), a hoarse voice, muscle aches and pains, and an altered sense of smell.
How long are you contagious with Covid?
If you have Covid symptoms, or have tested positive, you can pass the virus onto others from around two days before you actually start to display any symptoms.
The NHS says that while most people will no longer be infectious to others after five days, in some cases it is possible to be contagious for up to 10 days after symptoms start. Research published by Imperial College London last year, which assessed 57 people with mild Covid, found that two-thirds of cases were still infectious five days after symptoms began, while a quarter were still infectious at seven days.
And a separate study, published in The Lancet Microbe, suggests that the first five days after the onset of symptoms are when people are most contagious, but in some cases this can be longer. As such, it’s best to assume that you could still pass the virus on for up to 10 days after your symptoms started, so try to avoid contact with others where possible.
How long to isolate with Covid
While there are strict legal rules around isolation any more, the NHS does advise that you try to stay at home if you have Covid symptoms and either:
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have a high temperature
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do not feel well enough to go to work, school, childcare, or do your normal activities
Guidance says you can go back to your normal activities when you feel better or do not have a high temperature. It means that if you normally travel to work each day you should try to work from home where possible, although this is not a legal requirement.
The NHS says if you have tested positive for Covid you should:
- try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for three days after the day the test was taken if you are under 18 years old – children and young people tend to be infectious to other people for less time than adults
- try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days after the day you took your test if you are 18 years old or over
- avoid meeting people who are more likely to get seriously ill from viruses, such as people with a weakened immune system, for 10 days after the day you took your test
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