Three quarters of people with new cold-like symptoms are likely to have Covid, scientists have said.

Press Association has reported, according to a new analysis, the ZOE Covid Study estimates that 75% of people experiencing new cold-like symptoms are likely to have symptomatic Covid-19.

This figure is up from almost 50 percent last week as the study reports data is showing a fall in the number of non-Covid “colds” and a rise in symptomatic coronavirus infections.

It also said that the incidence figures show there are currently 192,290 new daily symptomatic cases of Covid-19 in the UK on average, based on test data from up to three days ago.

This is up 33 percent from the 144,284 reported last week.

Cases appear to be slowing in the 0 to 55 age group, the study found, however, were “rising sharply” in the 55-75-year-old groups.

It said that this was “worrying” because this older age group was more at risk of needing hospital treatment.

The Bolton News: Covid-19 case rates (PA)Covid-19 case rates (PA)

Dr Claire Steves, a scientist on the ZOE Covid Study app, said that while the number of daily new symptomatic Covid cases was more than double what it was this time last year, exponential growth appeared to have stopped.

But the reader at King’s College London said that symptoms such as a sore throat, headache, and runny nose needed to be added to the Government list of Covid symptoms as soon as possible.

She added: “The number of daily new symptomatic Covid cases are more than double what they were this time last year and we are just a day or two away from hitting over 200,000.

“However, the exponential growth in cases appears to have stopped, and the rise is more steady.

“Hospitalisation rates are thankfully much lower than this time last year, but they are still high, especially in London.

“It’s good news to see that fewer people are newly sick than a few weeks ago.

“However, the fact that 75% of new cold-like symptoms are Covid, and the classic symptoms are much less common, means the Government advice needs to be urgently updated.

“We want to see symptoms like sore throat, headache and runny nose added to the list as soon as possible.”

The ZOE study incidence figures are based on reports from around 840,000 weekly contributors.