Data comes from U.K. symptom-tracking app, and experts say multiple factors could be at play
The most-reported symptoms of COVID-19 are now a headache, sore throat, and runny nose, according to the research team behind a U.K. symptom tracking app, and medical experts here in Canada say various factors could be causing the illness to feel more like a common cold.
The findings come from the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app, which allowed U.K. residents to report their daily symptoms throughout most of the pandemic, with scientific analysis provided by King's College London.
"Since the start of May, we've been looking at the top symptoms for the app users, and they're not the same as they were," said the team's lead researcher, Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College London, in a video statement released last week.
Headache, sore throat, runny nose and fever are now the top four reported symptoms, all while the more-infectious delta variant, also known as B1617, is sweeping mainly through people under 40 in the U.K.
"It's more like a bad cold in this younger population," Spector said.
Having a cough clocked in as the fifth most-reported symptom — less common than before, he said — while loss of smell is no longer in the top ten.
It's not clear based on the information released whether the researchers were looking specifically at symptoms reported by those who eventually tested positive for COVID-19, and the team did not respond to CBC News' requests for an interview. But other analyses by the group — including an update shared on Friday — have zeroed in on confirmed cases.
"Curiously, we did notice that people who had been vaccinated and then tested positive for COVID-19 were more likely to report sneezing as a symptom compared with those without a jab," the team wrote, noting anyone who's been vaccinated and starts sneezing frequently should consider getting tested.
