Covid is doing the rounds again, but this time there are different strains to be wary of.
It has been five long years since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, and since then, there have been many variants to branch off from the original condition. At first, we were all told to look out for chills, a fever, or losing our sense of taste and smell.
Honestly, it was quite hard to know whether we had the flu, a really bad bout of the common cold, or Covid. Since the variants came to fruition, it’s gotten even harder to tell the difference, as the symptoms have changed more times that I can count.
But now that there are two new strains, you’ll be able to figure out what you’ve got as they have one key difference.
Advert
Stratus and Nimbus are the latest variants you can catch that are going around. And according to Dr Bruno Silvester Lopes, lecturer in microbiology at Teesside University, they affect very different aspects of the body.
The UKHSA explains that typical symptoms of Covid include a fever, a new and continuous cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, a headache, sore throat, a blocked nose, loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhoea, and changes to your taste and smell. But when it comes to Stratus and Nimbus, they don’t have all of those markers, and they have a distinct difference.
As per the World Health Organization, 'Nimbus' is 'highly infectious due to its strong ability to bind to human cells', while 'Stratus' had 'marginal additional immune evasion’ over Nimbus.
Advert
He explained to Manchester Evening News that: "Stratus is linked to hoarseness and fatigue, whereas Nimbus is associated with a 'razor-blade' sore throat and digestive symptoms like nausea and bloating.
"Both are highly transmissible but not more severe than previous variants."
In the US, 'Stratus' is primarily plaguing the public, while in the UK strain, 'Nimbus' is taking over.
Now, if you’re still struggling to determine how to know what strain you have, if you feel like you’ve swallowed shards of glass and have a hoarse voice in the initial days before a loss of taste and smell happens (or not), then you’ve got Nimbus.
Advert
The NHS advises to drink lots of fluids and honey to soothe your poor throat.
But if you develop a persistent, dry cough, are unusually tired and have a fever, it’s Stratus.
If the above symptoms don’t really apply, you could just have a cold.
Advert
"Colds are caused by a bunch of different viruses, but the most common culprit is the rhinovirus, a tiny troublemaker that loves to set up camp in your nose and throat," explained Dr Chun Tang, GP at Pall Mall Medical.
"Covid, on the other hand, is caused by a single virus, SARS-CoV-2, which is a type of coronavirus. Both attack your respiratory system, but Covid tends to go deeper, sometimes affecting the lungs and even other organs."
While all viruses can give you a sore throat, runny nose, and a cough, he notes that Covid’s distinction is that it can also cause fever, fatigue, and muscle aches.
"Covid is also more likely to make you feel wiped out, like you've been hit by a truck, whereas a cold tends to stay in your head and chest," he added.
Britt Jones