Experts are alerting the public to be vigilant for the signs of a new Covid variant, XEC, as cases see an uptick. Officials have said this strain seems to have a distinctive symptom timeline.
A research team from the University of Southern California discovered that symptoms for Covid-19 typically appear in a particular sequence, offering a crucial clue for distinguishing the new variant from seasonal bugs. The identified pattern for the XEC variant starts with a fever, moves on to a cough and sore throat, proceeds to muscle pains or headaches and potentially culminates in nausea or diarrhea.
Health aficionados at Healthline propose that individuals who recognise this peculiar symptom trajectory should promptly get tested for Covid-19 and self-isolate. Highlighting a fundamental contrast with the common flu, Dr Robert Glatter points out, “Patients with seasonal flu more commonly developed a cough before the onset of fever.”
Understanding your position in the symptom sequence could be useful for healthcare providers. Dr Joseph Larsen, spearheading the study, summed it up saying: “Knowing that each illness progresses differently means that doctors can identify sooner whether someone likely has COVID-19, or another illness, which can help them make better treatment decisions.”
The emergent XEC strain bears similarities to preceding expressions of the virus, being compounded from omicron subvariants, notes Dr Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, a leading mind in medicine at the University of California, adding “The symptoms seem to be the same as with other recent subvariants of Omicron.”
A health expert has highlighted that certain groups, particularly those who are immunocompromised, older, or not immune, might experience a more severe symptom of Covid-19 which could escalate to lower respiratory tract issues, such as pneumonia. Officials last week indicated that Covid-19 hospital admissions in England are on an upward trend but are still relatively low.
Health authorities continue to urge eligible individuals to take up vaccinations.
According to recent figures, the admission rate for patients with Covid stands at 4.5 per 100,000 people as of the week to October 6, climbing from 3.7 a week earlier. This increase marks the fourth consecutive weekly rise as reported by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Comparatively, twelve months prior, the admission rate was higher at 6.2 per 100,000 people, which subsequently declined before reaching a peak of 5.2 over the festive period. To provide context, during the initial winter wave of the pandemic in 2020/21, rates surged to 36.5 per 100,000.
In the face of approaching winter and potential co-circulation of flu and RSV, Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, UKHSA consultant epidemiologist, warned on October 10: “Covid-19 is continuing to circulate, with a slight increase in hospitalisations over the past two weeks. As winter approaches, we expect flu and RSV to increasingly circulate too, so if you’re eligible to get vaccinated against the three main winter threats – Covid-19, flu and RSV – now is the time to take them up and get winter strong.”
“We understand people may be concerned about new variants. Our surveillance shows that where Covid cases are sequenced, around one in 10 are the ‘XEC’ lineage. Current information doesn’t suggest we should be more concerned about this variant, but we are monitoring this closely.”
“The most important thing to do is to get your vaccination as soon as possible if you’re eligible.”