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Privacy NoticeA fresh Covid variant is making its rounds worldwide and is expected to become the dominant strain soon. With friends and loved ones exchanging tales of new coughs, colds, and Covid-like symptoms, one GP has revealed the current picture in her medical practice. Dr Helen pointed out some serious Covid symptoms that ‘seem to be really wiping people out’ – a departure from the milder effects we’ve seen in other variants. For medics like the Bolton-based GP, it’s tricky as lots of these symptoms can overlap with common bugs that creep up as temperatures drop and kids head back to school.
Some Covid symptoms “seem to be really wiping people out”, a GP has said
(Image: GETTY)
However, these ailments can be quite the setback. Dr. Wall suggests one vital move to keep you from being laid up for ages or even landing in hospital. Dr Wall, clinical director of population health in Greater Manchester, shared with the Manchester Evening News that GPs are noting more sick calls as the new XEC coronavirus variant spreads. “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,” she said. “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.” Researchers have identified XEC as a new recombinant variant, which is when two existing strains combine. This can occur if someone is infected with both strains at the same time. XEC combines KP. 3.3 and KS. 1.1 strains and carries genes from omicron. Experts are suggesting that XEC may possess a growth advantage and be spreading more rapidly than other existing variants, speculating it could rise to become the main strain worldwide in the upcoming months. Dr Wall noted a shift in coronavirus symptoms to something akin to flu in recent cases.
XEC as a new recombinant variant
(Image: Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
Sign up to OK!’s daily newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free “We could well be seeing the new Covid variant in practice. 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 said. Notably, she pointed out a change in symptoms, saying: “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.”
Symptoms of coronavirus can overlap with symptoms of other illnesses
(Image: GETTY)
Covid testing has seen a significant drop following the end of widespread drives, and the cost of purchasing lateral flow kits. The lack of a large-scale, mandatory reporting system also makes it challenging for public health chiefs to know the exact number of cases and how quickly the latest strains are spreading. Dr Wall said the data public health officials do have is ‘skewed’, as the reported results 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 emphasises the importance of ensuring people get vaccinated against what the NHS has termed the ‘tripledemic’ of winter illnesses. This year, the NHS is offering the new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, along with Covid and flu jabs. For those who are feeling unwell, Dr Wall advises: “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.”
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