It's here – and it is literally everywhere.
The Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus is proving to be far more contagious than previous variants – but, luckily, so far seems less likely to cause severe illness in those who catch it.
According to the
HSE, the list of symptoms to be on the lookout for when it comes to Covid-19 is still listed as high temperature, dry cough and fatigue. However, parents have been sharing the most common Omicron symptoms their children have experienced, and they look a little different these days.
Answering a recent poll on the
Manchester Family Facebook, by far the most common symptoms parents shared were:
- a cold
- headache
- temperature.
In fact, according to the poll, more than 50 parents said their child had suffered a headache, with 48 stating fever/temperature and 46 describing it as a cold, or a runny/ snotty nose.
The next most commonly suffered symptom was tiredness – or fatigue – with 33 parents saying their child was sleepy with no energy.
More than two dozen said their child had had a cough and while for some it was mild, for others it was more severe. A similar number complained of a sore throat.
Sickness or stomach ache were among the other commonly mentioned symptoms, as was having no appetite, losing taste or food tasting funny and feeling achy or with muscle pain, commonly achy legs or backache.
Some said their children had suffered diarrhoea or an upset stomach, while others said their child had been sneezing, or had sore or bloodshot eyes, or were pale.
Other symptoms cropped up just a couple of times, including breathlessness, a rash and night sweats.
The full list of symptoms reported by parents in the poll are:
- Headache - 53
- Temperature / fever - 48
- Cold, runny/snotty nose - 46
- Tired / fatigue / lethargic - 33
- Cough - 29
- Sore throat - 28
- Sickness - 15
- Achy / muscle pain - 12
- No appetite - 11
- Sore/ bloodshot eyes - 8
- Diarrhoea - 7
- Sneezing - 7
- Stomach ache - 6
- No taste or food smells funny - 4
- Pale - 4
- Chills / cold - 3
- Backache - 3
- Breathless - 2
- Rash - 2
- Night sweats - 2
- Dizzy - 2
- Thirsty - 1
- Hot belly - 1
- Earache - 1
- Neck ache - 1
- Chest pains 1
- Migraine - 1
- Cold hands and feet - 1
