A new variant of Covid-19 is doing the rounds. Medical professionals are urging people to know the symptoms and if they contract it, to stay home for as long as possible
A new variant of Covid-19 is circulating and has a surprising telltale sign patients will recognise immediately.
One of the most common variants in the UK is XFG, also known as Stratus. Experts say these don’t pose as great a threat as previous strains but can still make people ill.
The virus’ recent genetic changes can increase the likelihood of infection and present different symptoms, like a scratchy throat. Dr Kaywaan Khan, a Harley Street GP and Founder of Hannah London Clinic, told the Mirror : “You can still get some of the same features as with the common cold, like a cough or runny nose, but we are seeing a lot more hoarseness of voice.
“It’s not a defining feature, you can experience this with the common cold too, but with Covid, you can get a bit of laryngitis and this hoarse voice.” These are slightly different symptoms to other strains.
Dr Khan added: “You can get a razor-sharp sore throat, but also loss of taste. It’s probably less common than the first strains, but that can indicate Covid.”
Covid symptoms still include headaches, coughing, a blocked or runny nose and fatigue, making it tougher to tell if you’ve got a common flu or not.
If you think you have Covid, avoid contact with vulnerable people at stay home as much as possible. If you need to leave the house, follow current guidance which recommends wearing a mask, washing hands regularly and binning tissues.
Dr Khan strongly advises early testing for those more susceptible or have compromised immune systems. He said: “With Covid, you can get antivirals, but this will only be beneficial if you get tested really early. If you are immunocompromised, or have another condition, testing can provide information to your GP and they can consider antiviral medication.”
It comes as scientists warn the circumstances that led the the Covid pandemic beginning in China could be take place in Europe. Scientists have argued that the Covid virus jumped from bats to humans via a third “intermediary” animal, such as a pig, likely after it was exposed to bat droppings.
This theory is known as the “natural origins” hypothesis and is supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Researchers have found that similar conditions now exist in Italy and other Western nations after tracking bat activity at 14 pig farms.
A total of eight different bat species were found to have been present at the pig farms which each hosted between 500-8,000 pigs. They discovered that the bats would pass through the sites 45 times per night on average.
When the scientists, who were based at Universities in Rome and Padua, tested for Coronavirus, they found that 15% of bats were infected with at least one strain of the virus while the bat species that visited the farms most often was infected with two strains.
Experts warn this could spark outbreaks, as viruses may jump from bat droppings to pigs and then spread easily to humans via handling, farming or contaminated food and water. The virus could then mutate to become better suited to human-to-human transmission.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
#Covid #variants #full #list #symptoms #including #surprising #telltale #sign
