Doctor Perry started off by saying that a sore throat can be a symptom of any number of conditions and actions such as “shouting too much, battling an infection, an allergy, or suffering from tonsilitis or laryngitis”.
As a result, COVID-19 should not always be the first port of call if one’s throat starts to become sore.
And yet, in some cases it can be, that is if other symptoms are present. Doctor Perry explained: “Well first off, it is more common to have other symptoms present if it is Covid such as a cough, loss of smell and fever, fatigue and muscle aches, however these can also be linked to the common cold.”
Subsequently, if a sore throat is present with other symptoms of COVID-19, it may be COVID-19, but a simple sore throat and fatigue isn’t all one should do.
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Doctor Perry said: “At the moment we’re aware that two thirds of new Covid cases start off with a sore throat and many are quick to dismiss a simple cold with Covid. In comparison, a Covid sore throat usually feels worse on the first day of infection and gets better on the following days.”
When should I see my GP?
Doctor Perry advised: “If a sore throat lasts longer than five days it’s best to speak to your GP. The best thing to do is to take a Covid test and if negative still try to keep your distance from others and keep an eye out for other symptoms.”
While there are no legal requirements to self-isolate, it is still a recommended course of action to protect those around you.
Think of it this way, normally if you come down with a cold, you tend not to go into the office and mix with co-workers so they don’t get your cold, the best way according to some is to apply the same principle to COVID-19.
However, unlike the cold, there are more risks associated with mixing with others.
DON’T MISS
While the pandemic is not as intense as it was a year ago, COVID-19 is still resulting in the deaths of members of the public every single day.
The UK has been relatively lucky in that the sixth wave of Covid wasn’t as severe as originally feared. There were worries of a phenomenon arising known as a twindemic.
A twindemic occurs when two waves of virus hit at the same time. In this case, virologist expected a wave of COVID-19 to hit at the same time as a wave of flu cases.
However, although the Covid cases haven’t spiked as high, flu cases have risen earlier and faster than predicted. One of the reasons behind this is that the UK hasn’t had a proper flu season since the winter of 2019/20.
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As a result, there is a lower immunity in the population compared to previous years. This means if people do develop flu, they’re more likely to develop more severe symptoms or, in the case of the vulnerable, die from it.
How serious is flu?
For the elderly and the vulnerable, very. Pre-Covid, the UK experienced an annual epidemic of flu every winter and many died.
In recent years this hasn’t been the case because people have been inside due to lockdowns or various COVID-19 restrictions.
To combat a potentially devastating flu season, the government has been pushing its flu vaccine hard in order to protect as many people as possible.
It is in this regard that the UK has again been fortuitous in that the flu jab has been found to provide good protection against the wave of flu variants circulating in the UK.
Subsequently, people are more likely to be protected against severe flu than in previous years.
However, this doesn’t mean the NHS is out of the woods yet. The health service is facing a mountain of pressures including staff losses, potential public service cuts, waiting lists, and other strikes.
While Covid may not have struck as hard this winter, there are still plenty of hits being taken by the National Health Service this winter.
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