A list of symptoms to look out for has been issued.
A variant of Covid is spreading faster in Ireland as health authorities issue a list of symptoms to look out for. The country is seeing a sharp rise in Covid cases linked to the XFG variant, also known as Stratus, which is fast spreading and has a symptom that those infected with it may miss.
461 new cases have been reported across Ireland in just the last week, as well as 158 hospitalisations. The official figures from the country’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) also show the variant’s share of confirmed cases has leapt from 33% six weeks ago to 87.5% this week.
It means the majority of new cases now involve Stratus, as reported by The Irish Mirror.
Covid (Image: Getty)
Nine counties reported at least 20 new cases in the past week, the HPSC said.
The capital, Dublin, saw the most, with 108 cases. This was followed by Cork (47), Limerick (34), Galway (33), Tipperary (29), Kerry (23).
Meanwhile, Waterford and Donegal have reported 21 each and Wexford has seen 20.
The data suggests that at the other end of the scale, there were no new recorded cases in Longford, one in Mayo, two in Monaghan, three in Leitrim, five each in Kilkenny and Roscommon, and seven in both Carlow and Sligo.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) currently classes Stratus as a “variant under monitoring”, but that the additional public health risk posed is evaluated to be low at the global level.
Though while the UN agency warns that though the emerging variant may not cause more severe illness, it says it does seem to spread more quickly.
Stratus can cause various symptoms, some of which you may not associate with Covid.
Harley Street GP Dr Kaywaan Khan previously told Cosmopolitan UK that hoarseness is one of the most recognisable symptoms, with cases experiencing “a scratchy or raspy voice”.
“Though the symptoms manifest differently and vary from person to person, the symptoms of Stratus tend to be mild to moderate,” he added.
“Regardless of whether the symptoms mimic a cold or flu, testing continues to be the critical step in eliminating the possibility of a coronavirus infection.”
The NHS is reminding the public of the wide range of Covid symptoms to look out for. These include:
- a high temperature or shivering (chills) – a high temperature means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
- a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
- shortness of breath
- feeling tired or exhausted
- an aching body
- a headache
- a sore throat
- a blocked or runny nose
- loss of appetite
- diarrhoea
- feeling sick or being sick
- The health service’s guidance for those with symptoms continues to be to stay at home and avoid contact with other people.
You can find the latest NHS advice here.
Dr Alex Allen, consultant epidemiologist of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said, “It is normal for viruses to mutate and change over time,” and that it is monitoring all Covid strains in the UK.
The WHO has said based on the available evidence, approved Covid-19 vaccines are expected to remain an effective protection from Stratus against symptomatic and severe disease, as per The Independent.
However it says additional laboratory studies are required to further assess the risk of the variant avoiding antibodies developed from vaccination or prior infections.
