Previously common symptoms such as shortness of breath, fever and loss of smell fell down the rankings. Cold-like symptoms – including a runny nose, sore throat and persistent sneezing – became more common, along with a headache and cough, particularly in people who had been vaccinated.
Headache was the most common neurological symptom during the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 and the most recrudescing symptom of human coronavirus (hCoV) in 2016. Even in this prevailing global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the main neurological symptom is found to be a headache.
The research shows that covid-19 headaches are most similar to either tension headaches or migraines. The symptoms of tension-like headaches include: Moderate or severe pain. Pain on both sides of the head.
Symptoms of Omicron can be similar to the original COVID-19 virus and other variants, which can include a combination of the following: fever, cough, congestion, runny nose, headache, sore throat, muscle pains/aches and fatigue. “Fever, cough and headache look to be the most common symptoms from the current data.
Omicron Symptoms and Onset
"As your body starts recognizing the fact that it's been infected, your immune system will start taking actions, and those actions are those symptoms that you feel: fatigue, headache, malaise," Dr. Adalja said.
You should get a COVID-19 test if: You have new symptoms such as fatigue, headache, body/muscle aches, cough, fever, sore throat, and/or congestion. You have symptoms and are at high risk for severe illness because of other medical conditions, age, or have a compromised immune system.
After COVID, you may get more headaches than you did before, and your headaches might last longer. If you have headaches when you are unwell with COVID, they should get better after two weeks or sometimes longer.
Some people, even those with a mild case of COVID-19, have brain fog, which may involve problems with concentration, memory, understanding spoken and written language, and planning and making decisions. Many people have migraine-like headaches (which often do not respond to treatment).
Your infectiousness is highest 1 day before the start of your symptoms and begins to wane about a week later for most people. The Omicron variant has a shorter incubation period, compared to other variants. For the Omicron variant, the incubation period is 1 to 4 days.
In mild cases of COVID-19, headaches will usually resolve within a few days. However, in more severe cases, mild or moderate headaches may come and go for up to 90 days.
Conditions that might cause nonprimary chronic daily headaches include: Inflammation or other problems with the blood vessels in and around the brain, including stroke. Infections, such as meningitis. Intracranial pressure that's either too high or too low.
You are most infectious (or contagious) in the first 5 days after your symptoms start. You can also spread COVID-19 in the 48 hours before your symptoms start. If you never have symptoms, consider yourself most infectious in the 5 days after you test positive.
See a doctor if you experience headaches that: Occur more often than usual. Are more severe than usual. Worsen or don't improve with appropriate use of over-the-counter drugs.
After a positive test result, you may continue to test positive for some time. Some tests, especially PCR tests, may continue to show a positive result for up to 90 days. Reinfections can occur within 90 days, which can make it hard to know if a positive test indicates a new infection.
Since a sore throat is one of the hallmark symptoms of COVID-19, it's worth taking a moment to learn about the differences between pharyngitis that's caused by viruses (including sore throat with COVID-19, the flu, and the common cold) and pharyngitis that's caused by bacteria (including strep throat).
The first symptoms of COVID-19 can be more gradual. While COVID-19 symptoms can develop as early as two days after you're infected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says five days after infection is typical.
Many people who are infected have more mild symptoms like a scratchy throat, stuffy or runny nose, occasional mild cough, fatigue, and no fever. Some people have no symptoms at all, but they can still spread the disease.” Fever seems to be one of the more common early markers of COVID-19, Kline noted.
Normally, tension headaches are not severe enough to prevent you doing everyday activities. They usually last for 30 minutes to several hours, but can last for several days.
Is it possible to get Omicron twice? The Omicron variant spreads easier than other variants of coronavirus, and people can get it twice. Reinfection is possible even if a person has already had this virus or is fully vaccinated.
Norway reported a similar median Omicron incubation period of 3 days (4).
For those without any underlying health issues, treating omicron is primarily supportive, similar to previous variants. Both Campbell and Johnson recommended using acetaminophen (Tylenol) when needed for symptoms that include headache, muscle aches or fever.
Fever or chills. Cough. Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.