Hospital admissions related to Covid in the UK increased by almost 50% in a week, according to new figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), as the dominant strain XFG continues to spread. The variant, also known as Stratus and dubbed American Covid after spreading rapidly across the USA, has become dominant in several countries, with medical experts warning it has some unique symptoms.
Key symptom of the Stratus variant
Pharmacist Daniel Cheung, writing in NowPatient, said the key symptom of XFG is hoarseness or a scratchy, raspy voice, which he described as a unique symptom distinguishing it from other Covid strains. Other symptoms include a dry cough, sore throat, fever, fatigue, muscle aches and a loss of sense of taste and smell.
GP Dr Renée Hoenderkamp told the Mail that patients with Covid now complain of sore throats, headaches, runny noses and fatigue. She said: "In the past 10 days to three weeks in general practice, my lists have definitely changed to people with these symptoms."
Patient experiences and GP observations
One woman who recently had Covid described her symptoms, saying she was "absolutely exhausted, with a temperature, cough and really painful flu-like aches in my legs and joints." She added that her daughter "had a really bad headache, sore throat and cough, a raging temperature and was completely exhausted." Her GP said they had seen three patients with similar symptoms that day.
GP Dr Saira Bano, founder of SwiftDoctor, noted that a loss or change in sense of taste or smell is still a recognised Covid symptom but is not the giveaway sign it was earlier in the pandemic. She said it became much less common with Omicron, and an ordinary cold can also reduce the sense of smell. She advised that nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea can occur with Covid but are not dominant symptoms for a straightforward cold, and a stomach infection such as norovirus should be considered if those are the main problem.
NHS stay-at-home advice and vaccinations
According to the NHS, people with Covid symptoms should try to stay at home and avoid contact with others if they have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work, school, childcare, or do normal activities. Anyone under 18 who tests positive should stay home for three days, while those over 18 should stay home for five days. People should also stay away from anyone vulnerable for 10 days.
Most eligible adults in England can now receive their NHS vaccination for flu and Covid. The autumn Covid vaccination programme is more targeted this year, including adults aged 75 and over, residents of care homes for older adults and people aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed.
