Hands up if you have a scratchy throat, dry cough, and feverish feeling?
Sorry to say, but it may be Covid-19. The virus which caused global shutdowns in 2020 and 2021 is still sticking around; we just don’t hear as much about it these days.
And it is still busily mutating itself into new and improved replication machines.
This year, the two variants taking over are being called ‘Stratus’ and ‘Nimbus’.
Not in fact broomsticks in Harry Potter, they are new strains which are now the most common in the UK.
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So do we need to worry about them in particular?
Experts say they don’t appear to be causing more serious illness (although Covid can already be serious, so that’s not to minimise it).
In a report running to September 21, the Royal College of GPs said ‘rates of Covid-19 continue to increase nationally, especially in the very young [under one] and elderly [over 65].’
Latest government data showed cases were up 14.3% in the week up to September 17.
The UK Health Security Agency said the most common current variants around right now are the XFG and NB.1.8.1 (AKA the Stratus and Nimbus variants).
Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 lineages last month found that the most widespread was Stratus, in various suptypes: 35% were classified as XFG.3, 28% were classified as XFG, 7% were classified as XFG.5 and 7% were classified as XFG.3.4.1.
While less prevalent, 11% were classified as NB.1.8.1 (Nimbus).
Dr Michael Head, a senior research fellow in Global Health at the University of Southampton, told Metro: ‘The newly identified COVID variant, ‘Stratus’, appears to resemble recent strains in terms of how severe the illness may be. Early indications suggest that current vaccines should still offer good protection.
‘That said, we’ll need more data to fully understand the potential impact of this variant.
‘Covid-19 remains a disruptive and unpleasant illness, so if you’re eligible for a booster, it’s worth discussing with your healthcare provider. And with winter approaching, getting the seasonal flu vaccine is also important — it helps protect individuals and reduces pressure on healthcare services.’
Who is eligible for a Covid vaccine this year?
For autumn 2025, vaccination will be offered to:
- adults aged 75 years and over
- residents in care homes for older adults
- individuals who are immunosuppressed aged 6 months and over
This is less people than were eligible last year, when it also included adults aged 65 to 74 and all those aged 6 months and over in a clinical risk group.
Symptoms of Covid-19
Symptoms can include:
- a high temperature or shivering (chills)
- a new, continuous cough (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 illness often presents as similar to the flu or a cold, so it can be hard to tell the difference without getting a test. To get a better idea, you can still buy tests in pharmacies.
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