When the pandemic arrived in March 2020, we heard horror stories about people who thought they were hungover or suffering from a common cold, only to test positive for the virus days later. We soon learnt all about the symptoms, like a high temperature, a new continuous cough and a sore throat. But as Covid has evolved, so too have the telltale signs of the illness.
Just last week, we reported on how increasing numbers of sufferers are experiencing diarrhoea. And now there’s another (yes, another) new symptom to be aware of, and it’s being described by experts as ‘night sweats’ or ‘hot flushes’.
While waking up in a pool of your own sweat may feel all too familiar for people in the UK, what with all these endless heatwaves, experts have urged those who experience night sweats to take a rapid Covid-19 test, as the new symptom may make it difficult to detect the virus.
The symptom has gone from being a rare symptom of Covid to affecting 11 percent of sufferers in the past week, according to the ZOE Covid study app. However, night sweats are still much less common than most standard symptoms such as a sore throat (affecting 56 percent of Covid-positive people), headache (48 percent) and a dry cough (43 percent).
The emergence of new symptoms making it even harder for the public to spot signs of Covid, experts have said. Doctors are advising people to take rapid Covid-19 tests if they experience any newly identified or previously known symptoms, and that it’s sensible to stay away from others, if at all possible.
Want more information on Covid-19 symptoms? You can visit the NHS website here.
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