New Covid variant symptoms 'wiping people out' as GP explains how to tell (original) (raw)
A new Covid variant is circling the globe, expected to outpace previous forms, leaving many people debilitated by symptoms unlike the milder ones seen in the past. A GP has shared what's unfolding within her practice, highlighting some severe coronavirus signs that are causing significant distress.
Dr. Helen Wall, Clinical Director of Population Health in Greater Manchester, said there has been an uptick in sickness coinciding with the rise of the new XEC Covid strain.
"We do see generally a rise in respiratory infections this time of year. There is another Covid variant on the scene which is expected to become the most dominant, and is becoming more prevalent like all the variants before it.", reports the Manchester Evening News.
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"We don't completely know if it makes it more or less transmissible, I suspect more because they always are. But we don't know what the situation is."
XEC, a recombinant variant identified by researchers, is formed when two existing strains combine. This can occur if an individual contracts both strains simultaneously.
Dr Helen is urging parents to get their children vaccinated against flu (Image: BBC)
XEC is derived from the KP. 3.3 and KS.1.1 strains, with genetic ties to omicron - a variant first detected in South Africa in 2021 known for its high contagion levels and reduced severity compared to earlier SARS-CoV-2 strains. Some scientists have suggested that "XEC appears to have a growth advantage and is spreading faster than other circulating variants, suggesting it will become the dominant variant globally in the next few months".
Dr Wall said: "We could well be seeing the new Covid variant in practice," and "At the moment, it seems to be a bit more flu-like than previous iterations of Covid, with a high temperature, a cough, aching body, headache."
She added: "Some of the symptoms in the past were more cough and cold symptoms, but at the moment, Covid does seem to be wiping people out.
"We're seeing an increase in respiratory infections, you see that every time the weather changes, and there's always a rise when the children go back to school. But whether that's Covid is really difficult to say because a lot of the symptoms blur together with other illnesses that are prevalent at this time of year. Whether it's Covid versus flu is hard to separate.
"People who have the flu tend to be extremely unwell. Sometimes, people say they've got the flu but have actually got a bad cold.
"Generally, if you've got true flu, you're bed bound. With Covid, you might actually be quite well. You might be coughing and having other symptoms, but able to go about your business – and you might be unintentionally spreading it to people who are vulnerable."
Testing for the vast majority of people has taken a huge decline following the end of widespread testing drives, and the cost which now comes with buying lateral flows kits. The absence of a large-scale, mandatory reporting system for test results also means it's often difficult for public health chiefs to know the exact number of cases swirling around and how quickly the latest strains are spreading. For the latest health and Covid news, sign up to our newsletter here
Dr Wall points out that the data that public health officials do have is 'skewed', as results that are reported are coming from people in hospital who have either fallen severely ill with Covid, or have caught Covid while sick in hospital for another illness or injury.
Dr. Wall has emphasised the importance of vaccination amidst what the NHS has termed the 'tripledemic' of winter illnesses, even in the face of a fall-off in uptake in Greater Manchester. With the NHS introducing the new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine along with traditional flu and Covid jabs, there’s a concerted push to counter the decline seen last year.
"We only know for sure about the cases that we see in hospitals, involving the sickest people, because that's where most of the testing is happening. There may be a milder version circulating in the community which people don't know about because they've not tested, that's the difficulty we're dealing with.
"That's why we're spending lots of time and effort on the vaccine programme to make sure we're in the best position for whatever does come this winter. We've seen a downturn in Greater Manchester for Covid vaccinations.
"Last autumn and winter, we were operating at 46 per cent of those eligible across all age groups being vaccinated against Covid. And we're seven per cent down on those who are deemed clinically at-risk taking up their flu vaccine. We're putting in a lot of effort to make sure that people are aware they're eligible."
Dr Wall acknowledges the fatigue people may feel towards vaccinations, especially when they can cause soreness or aches, but he cautions that the consequences of not getting vaccinated could be far worse. "Three vaccines is a lot, and some people might think it's just another thing to worry about, or get the new RSV jab but then not get the Covid and flu jabs too," Dr Wall explains.
"The difficulty is that people are working, there's a cost-of-living crisis – people don't want to be off work to get a vaccine or if they're feeling a little unwell because of any side effects. But I'd encourage people to keep in mind the bigger picture.
"Most vaccine side effects go within a few hours to 24 hours, around half of the people who get a vaccine won't get side effects at all. If you get any of these illnesses, you'll be off work for much longer.
"If you've been deemed eligible for these vaccines, it's because we think you're going to be very ill if you get these and end up in hospital. It's about keeping that in perspective, you don't want to look back and wish you'd had the jabs."
For those feeling under the weather, Dr Wall reiterates familiar advice: "It's not like it was during the peak of Covid, but a lot of the general advice remains the same. If you have a high fever, try not to mix with people. If people have elderly relatives or know people who are immunocompromised, I wouldn't be mixing with them if I've got a temperature, or cold or flu-like symptoms."