New Covid variant is different to anything seen before as GP warns symptoms 'wipe you out'

A new strain of Covid - the XEC coronavirus variant - is 'wiping out' people who catch it, a GP has warned.

Some of the more recent strains since the pandemic have been milder, but GP Dr Helen Wall said the current one doing the rounds is more flu-like, with heavier symptoms.

The new variant is sweeping across the globe and it is feared it will become the most dominant. Dr Wall, who is the clinical director of population health in Greater Manchester, told the M.E.N. that GPs are seeing a rise in illnesses as the new variant spreads.

She said: "We do see generally a rise in respiratory infections this time of year. There is another Covid variant on the scene which is expected to become the most dominant, and is becoming more prevalent like all the variants before it.

"We don’t completely know if it makes it more or less transmissible, I suspect more because they always are. But we don’t know what the situation is.”

XEC is a recombinant variant, which happens when two existing strains combine.

This can happen if an individual contracts both strains simultaneously.

XEC is formed from the KP.3.3 and KS. 1.1 strains, with genetic links to omicron - a variant initially spotted in South Africa in 2021 known for its high contagion levels and reduced severity compared to earlier SARS-CoV-2 strains.

But, some experts fear that "XEC appears to have a growth advantage and is spreading faster than other circulating variants, suggesting it will become the dominant variant globally in the next few months".

The Bolton GP feels hat more recent coronavirus cases are more flu-like in terms of symptoms and when compared to past variants.

She said: "We could well be seeing the new Covid variant in practice.

“At the moment, it seems to be a bit more flu-like than previous iterations of Covid, with a high temperature, a cough, aching body, headache.

“Some of the symptoms in the past were more cough and cold symptoms, but at the moment, Covid does seem to be wiping people out.

“But whether that’s Covid is really difficult to say because a lot of the symptoms blur together with other illnesses that are prevalent at this time of year. Whether it’s Covid versus flu is hard to separate.

“People who have the flu tend to be extremely unwell. Sometimes, people say they’ve got the flu but have actually got a bad cold.

“Generally, if you’ve got true flu, you’re bed bound. With Covid, you might actually be quite well. You might be coughing and having other symptoms, but able to go about your business – and you might be unintentionally spreading it to people who are vulnerable.”

She is urging people to get vaccinated against what the NHS has dubbed the "tripledemic" of winter illnesses.

This year, the NHS is offering the new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, as well as Covid and flu jabs.

She knows that people might be sick of getting vaccines when they might feel sore or achey afterwards, but warns they’ll be much sicker if they miss out.

She said: “Three vaccines is a lot, and some people might think it’s just another thing to worry about, or get the new RSV jab but then not get the Covid and flu jabs too.

“The difficulty is that people are working, there’s a cost-of-living crisis – people don’t want to be off work to get a vaccine or if they’re feeling a little unwell because of any side effects. But I’d encourage people to keep in mind the bigger picture.

“Most vaccine side effects go within a few hours to 24 hours, around half of the people who get a vaccine won’t get side effects at all. If you get any of these illnesses, you’ll be off work for much longer.

“If you’ve been deemed eligible for these vaccines, it’s because we think you’re going to be very ill if you get these and end up in hospital. It’s about keeping that in perspective, you don’t want to look back and wish you’d had the jabs.”