Omicron warning: You could be infectious for longer than you think – the signs you should never ignore

WHILE Brits are getting used to the new normal post-pandemic, coronavirus is still around and people are still catching the bug.

The Omicron variant is milder than others that came before it and for most people it will resemble a common cold.

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Taking a lateral flow test is one of the quickest and easiest ways to discover if you have Covid.

Previous rules stated that you had to have a negative test on day five of the infection to be able to mingle again.

Current rules state that you no longer legally have to isolate if you test positive - but this is encouraged.

One expert has however warned that you could be infectious for longer than you think - and therefore risk infecting others.

Professor Tim Spector, of King's College London and head of the ZOE Symptom Tracker app, said that on average, people are still testing positive for around eight days.

In his latest video he said: "[It] is around eight days, which is perhaps longer than people thought.

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"The vast majority of contributors tested positive on that first day of experiencing symptoms.

"That means now is the time to have lateral flow tests in the house.

"Test on the first day of symptoms, if negative, test again the next day."

From April 1, Brits will no longer be able to access lateral flow tests for free.

At the moment you are able to order one pack every three days, each pack contains seven tests.

Brits are still encouraged to test if they feel unwell and are also urged to test before seeing more vulnerable people.

While Omicron is a milder form of illness, this isn't the case for everyone and deaths are still occurring from the virus.

Despite free tests being scrapped from next month, Prof Spector said we still need them.

"We will be relying on LFT tests in the future because of the speed of Omicron", he added.

KNOW THE SIGNS

If you feel unwell - it's still encouraged to take a coronavirus test.

The NHS still lists a new persistent cough, a high temperature and a loss of taste and smell as the key symptoms of the virus.

But most people who have Omicron suffer cold like symptoms and the experts at ZOE have highlighted the top 10 currently plaguing Brits:

1. Runny nose (77 per cent)
2. Headache (68 per cent)
3. Sore throat (67 per cent)
4. Fatigue (66 per cent)
5. Sneezing (63 per cent)
6. Persistent cough (46 per cent)
7. Hoarse voice (42 per cent)
8. Other (34 per cent)
9. Chills or shivers (32 per cent)
10. Unusual joint pains (31 per cent)

While these are the top ten symptoms, the experts said that rarer symptoms included swollen glands and brain fog.

Most recent data from the government states that 45,375 new infections were recorded yesterday - so it's important to take a test if you think you might have the bug.

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Prof Spector added: "Your risk of getting it is still quite high if you haven't already

"Hospitalisations continue to decline but not as fast as we've seen."