OMICRON has been circulating in the UK for close to two months now and most people who have it say it feels like a cold-like illness.

The NHS states that the main Covid signs are a new persistent cough, a loss of taste and smell and a high temperate – but people who catch Omicron have suffered a wide range of symptoms.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) states that the most commonly reported symptoms have been a cough, fatigue and headache.

These vary from the three main symptoms of coronavirus set out by the NHS which have not changed since Covid reached our shores in March 2020.

It's important that if you think you have Covid you get a test and follow isolation guidelines, which state you need to isolate for five days.

While Covid won't be a mild illness for everyone, most people who have had the variant say it's 'just like a cold'.

A string of hugely positive studies show Omicron is milder than other strains in the vaccinated, with the first official UK report revealing the risk of hospitalisation is 50 to 70 per cent lower than with Delta.

Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said.

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The Sun's Jabs Army campaign is still helping get the vital extra vaccines in Brits' arms.

But even if you are vaccinated, you can still catch Covid and experts say there are five symptoms you could be missing – as they could be mistaken for something else.

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1. Fatigue

One expert said it can be hard to distinguish whether or not fatigue is down to Covid-19 as people can sometimes put it down to other lifestyle factors.

Studies have found that fatigue is present in 62 per cent of Covid cases.

Infectious disease expert Dr Sachin Nagrani said that fatigue is defined as extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness.

"As an acute symptom, while new fatigue could be an early marker of a COVID-19 infection, the fatigue could easily be due to another cause.

"It's also important to remember that many cases of Covid-19 have no symptoms at all, which is one reason it has continued to spread so easily", he told Good Housekeeping.

2. Feeling sore

He explained that a constant feeling of fatigue could also leave you feeling sore.

Body aches and muscle soreness have also been reported as signs of Covid, as your body is constantly trying to fight a virus.

Five ways you can recover from Covid at home

Most people who get Covid will be able to rest up at home.

While you're likely to have cold-like symptoms, there are some things you can do to ease them and to help you recover faster.

Boots Chief Pharmacist, Marc Donovan has suggested a variety of simple steps that can be taken to help recovery and support your immune system, having you back to your usual self in no time.

1. Stay hydrated: Mark said it's important to drink plenty of water when your body is fighting infection. "If you are experiencing a high fever this could lead to sweating, which will make it even more important that your body replaces lost liquids", he said.
2. Eat a healthy diet: Eating a healthy diet is even more important when you're poorly and Mark said that fruit and vegetables are a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre.
3. Increase your vitamin intake: "Some people find they have less energy when fighting an illness and might want to consider a supplement. Look for one containing B vitamins which can support the release of energy from food", Mark said.
4. Relieve symptoms: Mark said you can help alleviate aches and pains caused by the virus by taking paracetamol or ibuprofen.
5. Rest up: "Get a good night sleep and rest as much as possible during the day to help your body recover", Mark said.

3. Loss of appetite

The ZOE study previously compared symptoms reported by people that had tested positive for either the Delta or Omicron variants and found that many had struggled with their appetite.

Experts said: “Contributor reports also identified loss of appetite and brain fog as common symptoms.

“These findings line up with a small batch of data from contributors who reported that their positive PCR results were suspected or confirmed Omicron infections.”

The analysis found no clear differences between Delta and Omicron when it came to typical infection.

4. Feeling sick

The ONS states that the least commonly reported symptoms have consistently been abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and nausea or vomiting.

Experts have however said that while nausea or vomiting might not be key signs of the virus, they could sit along side other symptoms.

Studies have shown that people who have Covid-19 can sometimes experience gastrointestinal symptoms.

Published in the Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection, experts found that that nausea and vomiting were two of the most common symptoms that sat beside other key Covid symptoms such as a sore throat or loss of taste and smell.

The study suggests that issues like diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting could be triggered by the Covid infection.

The reason people are sick, they suggest, is due to the body's inflammatory response to the virus infection.

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