Ahead of the icy winter weather rolling in, UK doctors have been attempting to raise awareness of an alarming new Coronavirus strain that is said to be knocking patients off their feet for several weeks.
It's known as 'Stratus', and while it's similar in many ways to the 'OG' Covid-19 infection we became painfully familiar with in 2020, this violent new advancement reportedly accounts for a high proportion of current cases in England, Scotland, Wales and NI.
"NB.1.18.1 (Nimbus) and XFG (Stratus) appear to be more transmissible compared to other variants," public health epidemiology and medicine professor Dr Albert Ko, of Yale University, told TODAY recently.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center's professor of infectious diseases, Dr William Schaffner, added: "All these newer omicron variants are highly contagious, but apparently not as severe."
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For those in need of a wee five-year throwback, in the thick of national Coronavirus lockdowns, Brits were warned by health ministers to keep an eye out for throbbing headaches, fevers and chills, an upset stomach, aches and pains, shortness of breath, and a possible loss of sense and taste.
Despite 'Stratus' aligning with the vast majority of these symptoms, this highly contagious mutation is understood to have its own range of symptoms - one of which is considered something of a variety in the viral infection field.
According to the Independent, many patients have complained of the expected side effects already mentioned, while some claim to have suffered both fatigue and a fever to a much more extreme degree that they've experienced before.
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The most unique symptom, however - and, apparently, the key to distinguishing 'Stratus' from previous strains - is a hoarse voice.
"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," Dr Kaywaan Khan, Harley Street GP and founder of Hannah London Clinic, told The Mirror.
"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."
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He went on to add that these voice changes can, in some cases, come hand-in-hand with an agonising throat pain.
"You can get a razor-sharp sore throat, but also loss of taste," the doctor continued. "It's probably less common than the first strains, but that can indicate Covid."
Thankfully, however, medical experts have advised sufferers not to panic, with Dr Alex Allen, a consultant epidemiologist of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), explaining that it's not being considered any more lethal than 'normal' Covid'.
Dr Allen previously said: "Based on the available information so far, there is no evidence to suggest that the XFG and XFG.3 variants cause more severe disease than previous variants, or that the vaccines in current use will be less effective against them."
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On the latter claim, though, Dr Khan went on to warn this month: "Unlike other variants, Stratus has certain mutations in the spike protein which could help it evade antibodies developed from prior infections or vaccinations."
Topics: Covid-19, Coronavirus, UK News, Health
Rhianna Benson