Covid infections are on the rise due to similarities with cold symptoms. Photo: Pexels
That cold might be COVID: Why you should take mild symptoms seriously
Experts warn that what seems like a mild cold might actually be Covid-19, despite a lack of more severe symptoms.
Covid infections are on the rise due to similarities with cold symptoms. Photo: Pexels
Experts caution that what appears to be cold-like symptoms may well be a Covid-19 infection. Even being vaccinated doesn’t mean you aren’t at risk according to a new study. New information reveals that one in three vaccinated adults and present with cold-like symptoms are testing positive for Covid-19.
Professor Tim Spector from King’s College London says symptoms that seem harmless enough can be cause for concern. Common cold symptoms include a runny nose and a sore throat, necessitating self-isolation. The Daily Mail reports that isolation should be on the cards until testing negative.
Spector warns that waiting until fever, the loss of taste or a cough occurs before taking precautions against the possibility of infection. The expert called for people to be more open-minded testing when presenting with cold-like symptoms.
Additionally, he feels isolation should be on the cards, ‘at least for a few days’.
Festivities add to Covid-19 infections
The festive season has brought its own set of challenges to the fight against the pandemic.
Spector explains that mistaking Covid-19 for the flu is a recipe for disaster with social events increasing. More social events combined in a failure to test for the virus has seen and influx in the spread of Covid-19.
With a spike in social obligations during the holidays it can be tempting to blow symptoms off as something less serious. However, Spector insists that caution must be taken.
“That’s when you’re most contagious, that’s when you’re most likely to transmit. Whether it’s a respiratory virus, you’re just giving someone a cold, or you might be giving them Omicron or Delta, then it’s those first few days.”
Professor Tim Spector
The expert encouraged those who are feeling unwell to avoid going into the office or attending that Christmas party in favor of testing for Covid-19 instead.
“Take a test and then, when the symptoms subside, they can come out – it doesn’t have to be 10 days but just those first few days are probably the most crucial.”
Professor Tim Spector
