JUST as the summer holiday season begins, it seems like everyone has Covid again.
And some of those recently reinfected with the virus called the latest attack the most harrowing yet.
There is currently no concrete evidence to suggest that these new variants – which have been collectively dubbed FLiRT – are actually nastier than their predecessors.
You would assume that this series of diseases could make us less sick, since most of us have some level of immunity after being vaccinated and contracting the disease several times.
But according to Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco, that doesn’t mean this new version of the disease will be better for us.
“The dogma is that every time you get Covid it is milder.
But I think we need to keep our minds open to the possibility that some people may have worse symptoms,” he told LA Times.
Every time you get Covid, he said, it’s “like playing Covid roulette.”
I have never in my life experienced anything worse than Covid diarrhea, how horrible
Reddit user
This is because everyone’s experience with Covid is a little different, so we never really know how someone’s body might react.
This can make it difficult to compare current variants with previous ones.
IT FEELS CHOKING
But interestingly, people adopted Reddit describing the symptoms of what they suggested is the worst variant yet.
“I’ve had Covid a few times, but this was the worst I’ve ever had,” one person said. “Previously, Covid felt like a common cold, but this strain is wreaking havoc.”
They described “terrible sinus pressure and headache” as well as “not being able to stand for very long” without feeling like they were about to “pass out.”
Another person said they were so congested they felt “suffocating.”
“The sinus pressure made me sit up in bed and sob because I was incredibly uncomfortable and couldn’t relax,” they said.
Additionally, they also had diarrhea.
“I have never in my life experienced anything worse than Covid diarrhea, how horrible.”
Meanwhile, another person wrote that their “throat feels like a razor blade” and that they feel like they are “living in poverty.”
two
There are a number of reasons why a second, third, fourth or fifth Covid illness could be worse than the first.
Some health experts have suggested that the new FLiRT may be able to evade immunity, which is why people who have been vaccinated still get so sick.
“The FLiRT variant has specific changes to its spike protein that could make it spread more easily and evade immunity from past infections or vaccines,” says Dr Mariyam Malik, an NHS doctor and NHS private practitioner. Pall Mall Medical.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that for many people there has been a relatively long gap since their last Covid vaccine.
The vaccine program has been scaled back since initial rollouts at the start of the pandemic.
Now, only some people are eligible for vaccines under seasonal booster programs.
And without staying up to date on Covid vaccines, the immune system will have a harder time and take longer to fight off current variants, said Dr.
“It’s evolved a lot, and the body is like, ‘Oh my God, what is this thing I’m seeing?’” he added.
SUMMER WAVE
At the same time, the NHS warned of a rise in Covid hospital admissions, amid signs of a new summer wave.
According to the latest figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), hospital admissions are at levels last seen at the end of winter, although still significantly below the peak seen in January.
Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant epidemiologist for immunization at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “We are seeing an increase in Covid-19 across all indicators, including hospitalisations.”
With the end of mass testing, it is difficult to track infection levels and hospital admissions tend to be a good indicator.
Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at Norwich School of Medicine, said the infection rate may already be falling. “It certainly looks like we’ve seen a wave of infection.
“It may have peaked last week, but that may be wishful thinking on my part, although it appears the rate of increase is starting to slow,” he said. The times.
When Your Cold Could Actually Be Covid
So do you know the difference between a common sniffle and Covid-19? Here’s how to tell the difference.
Is it a summer cold?
Although we typically associate colds with winter, it’s possible to get them at any time of year, including summer.
The main symptoms include:
- Stuffy or runny nose
- Sneezing
- A sore throat
- A hoarse voice
- Cough
- Feeling tired and unwell
According to the NHS, you may also suffer from:
- A high temperature
- Sore muscles
- A loss of taste and smell
- A feeling of pressure in the ears and face
A cold usually only lasts a week or two – so if your sneezing persists for longer, you probably have hay fever.
Seasonal allergies don’t usually cause a fever, but you can catch one with a cold.
Meanwhile, allergies don’t usually cause a cough and sore throat like a cold would.
Is it Covid?
Health chiefs have warned that the rise in Covid cases could be driven by waning immunity built up from vaccines and previous infections, as well as the emergence of new strains dubbed FLiRT variants.
The most common symptoms of Covid include:
- Runny nose (31.1 percent)
- Cough (22.9 percent)
- Headache (20.1 percent)
- Weakness or tiredness (19.6 percent)
- Muscle pain (15.8 percent)
- Sore throat (13.2 percent)
- Trouble sleeping (10.8 percent)
- Worry or anxiety (10.5 percent)
The most common symptom of the JN.1 variant was a runny nose, with 31 percent of patients reporting the symptom, an ONS report said.
But loss of taste and smell – once a hallmark of the virus – is only reported by two to three per cent of infected Brits, according to the UK’s winter Covid report. Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the United Kingdom.
Fever, another typical symptom of older variants, was only felt by 2% of people.
ONS scientists suggest that anxiety could also be a sign that someone has the virus, as 10% of Brits with Covid have reported anxiety, excessive worrying or difficulty sleeping since the start of November.
Meanwhile, 23% of people reported having a cough and 20% a headache.
Nearly 20% of people with the disease reported weakness and fatigue, 16% reported muscle pain, and 13% had a sore throat.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
