How COVID-19 symptoms are changing: A sore throat and hoarse voice became top symptoms with newer variant

The top symptoms of the Omicron COVID-19 variant may differ from symptoms that were common at the start of the pandemic. Omicron may also be less severe than the Delta variant, a study out of the U.K. found.

People with Omicron often report sore throat and a hoarse voice, which were not as prevalent in Delta cases, a Zoe Health Study found. This is true for vaccinated and unvaccinated patients.

People who contracted the Omicron variant were less likely to be hospitalized compared to those with the Delta variant, Zoe Health said in a press release about the study. Symptoms also lasted for shorter periods – an average of 6.87 days, compared to 8.89 days.