A NEW COVID-19 variant that comes with three new symptoms has been spreading across popular sunshine hotspots across the globe.
Despite COVID-19 being declared a pandemic five years ago by the World Health Organization, we are still experiencing regular waves of infections due to the development of new variants.
The new variant, known as NB.1.8.1, has spread in several countries after being identified earlier in January as a sister strain of the Omicron variant.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has discovered a substantial surge in cases of COVID-19 infections linked to NB.1.8.1 in recent months.
The number of cases associated with the new variant has jumped from 3.7 per cent to 33 per cent in the past five weeks, which the World Health Organization is currently monitoring.
While we know the main symptoms of COVID-19 are mainly associated with respiratory issues, the new variant’s symptoms are related to the digestive system.
The strain is now the most common in China and Hong Kong and accounts for more than 10 per cent of all sequenced COVID-19 infections globally.
In addition to Ireland, this type has been found in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Australia, as well as in a number of popular sunshine spots like Egypt, Thailand, and the Maldives.
Writing to The Conversation, Dr Lara Herrero explained that the new variant could be faster spreading than other COVID-19 variants.
She said: “The evidence so far suggests NB.1.8.1 may spread more easily and may partially sidestep immunity from prior infections or vaccination. These factors could explain its rise in sequencing data.
“But importantly, the WHO has not yet observed any evidence it causes more severe disease compared to other variants.
“Reports suggest symptoms of NB.1.8.1 should align closely with other Omicron subvariants.”
NEW VARIANT SYMPTOMS
The variant comes with typical symptoms, including sore throat, fatigue, fever, mild cough, muscle aches and nasal congestion and in some cases, gastrointestinal symptoms may also appear.
The new variant could include symptoms such as:
- Diarrhoea
- Constipation
- Nausea
Holidaymakers are urged to remember COVID-19, as it may be easier to mistake it for a different illness.
The WHO has noted that the current vaccines should still protect against severe diseases caused by this variant.
Despite the vaccine protecting them from severe diseases, a study revealed that the neutralising response of antibodies was around 1.5 times lower to the new variant compared to the recent variant, LP.8.1.1.
This means that it is possible a person infected with the new variant may be likely to pass the virus on to someone else, compared to previous variants.
For some people, particularly those who are immunocompromised, COVID-19 remains a severe disease.
