The 6 stealth Omicron symptoms that might not be detected by lateral flow tests
OMICRON is showing up as a wide range of symptoms - drastically different to the classic trio from the first Covid wave.
People are reporting eye problems, earache, muscle aches and skipping meals.
The variant is affecting patients differently, and hitting new parts of the body after mutating from the original coronavirus.
A string of hugely positive studies show Omicron is milder than other strains in the vaccinated, with Covid booster jabs protecting against it.
An expert has warned positive cases might be being missed now due to swabs not picking up Omicron in some people.
Professor Tim Spector, from the ZOE Covid Symptom Study, told the Sun Online the variant could be settling in the gut rather than the nose.
This means, when people are infected and experiencing gut symptoms like an upset stomach they will test negative - as there won't be traces of Omicron in the nose or mouth.
The expert explained: "We know that the virus tries to enter the mouth or nose, and shows up in the respiratory system or the lungs.
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"And it sometimes goes into the gut and people who have long Covid - they've found traces of the virus in the gut that can last a long time.
"We know that this virus travels to different parts of the body.
"It's possible that Omicron or another variant is attacking the gut.
"And this would not be showing in the nose - so you could have a gut infection but not show up as positive.
"We could be missing quite a few cases simply by swabbing the nose."
Symptoms of a gut infection include:
- Nausea
- Diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Heartburn
- Bloating
The Center for Disease Control in the US has also listed diarrhoea as a symptom of Omicron.
It is thought people with a weaker immune system could experience gastrointestinal symptoms in the early stages of infection.
The ZOE app has had diarrhoea listed as a symptom of Covid since last year, due to the disruption of normal gut function caused by the virus.
Its especially important to wash your hands regularly if you have an upset stomach, to avoid spreading the virus that way.
Usually diarrhoea will last for an average of two to three days, but can stick around for up to seven days. Drink plenty of water and avoid fizzy drinks or fruit juice.
Stay at home if you have diarrhoea or vomiting, and if you think it could be Covid, isolate for five days. If you work with food, there may be stricter rules about returning to work after this kind of illness.
Very few people have previously reporting it as their only sign of illness with other variants, but with the emergence of Omicron, Prof Spector now thinks people who have mostly gut symptoms could be carrying the virus, but testing negative.
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He said: "We are seeing an increase in gut symptoms with Omicron compared to Delta.
"People won't be reporting it because they don't think it's real, as they take a lateral flow test and it's negative.
"But with a virally gut problem - it could still be Covid."
The expert said people should make sure they are eating well with a varied diet, that include gut friendly things - such as fermented foods and live yoghurt.
Prof Spector said: "In general the better your diet, the more you can protect against severe illness."
The top 20 symptoms:
- Runny nose
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Sore throat
- Sneezing
- Persistent cough
- Hoarse voice
- Other
- Unusual joint pains
- Chills or shivers
- Fever
- Dizzy
- Eye soreness
- Brain fog
- Unusual muscle pains
- Altered smell
- Skipped meals
- Swollen glands
- Chest pain
- Earache
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Yesterday we revealed a list of the top 20 Omicron symptoms has been updated, with two new signs of the variant you shouldn't ignore.
Brits have been logging how they feel before and after testing positive on the ZOE Covid Symptom Study app.
This week earache and unusual joint pains have been added to the list, with feeling down and loss of smell removed.
Still in the top 20 are symptoms like runny nose, headache, fatigue, altered smell and skipped meals.
If you think you have Covid from any known symptom you get a test and isolate for five days full days and take lateral flows to be released.
Prof Spector added: "It’s great to see cases falling rapidly.
"While it is easy to think the worst is over, our health service is still not functioning properly, and complacency will inevitably lead to trouble.
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"The ZOE data is already showing an uptick in symptomatic cases in children due to the back to school effect.
"With cases still high and restrictions being lifted, we’ll just have to hope that people remain sensible, their households are triple vaccinated, and regardless of official advice, that everyone knows to isolate and self test when experiencing cold-like symptoms.”
