XEC Covid variant symptoms may appear in an unusual order - six key signs to watch

The XEC Covid variant is incredibly accelerated spreading, and present that it's been detected successful aggregate countries, it's captious that everyone is alert of the symptoms to look retired for - including the antithetic bid they mightiness appear

People are being warned of an antithetic bid of Covid symptoms, with the XEC variant present the fastest spreading and detected successful aggregate countries.

In the UK, eligible radical are being urged to get vaccinated against “winter threats”, including Covid . At the moment, the XEC variant makes up 1 successful 10 Covid cases.

Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, UKHSA advisor epidemiologist, said: “Covid-19 is continuing to circulate, with a flimsy summation successful hospitalisations implicit the past 2 weeks.

“As wintertime approaches, we expect flu and RSV to progressively circulate too, truthful if you’re eligible to get vaccinated against the 3 main wintertime threats – Covid-19, flu and RSV – present is the clip to instrumentality them up and get wintertime strong.

“We recognize radical whitethorn beryllium acrophobic astir caller variants. Our surveillance shows that wherever Covid cases are sequenced, astir 1 successful 10 are the ‘XEC’ lineage. Current accusation doesn’t suggest we should beryllium much acrophobic astir this variant, but we are monitoring this closely. The astir important happening to bash is to get your vaccination arsenic soon arsenic imaginable if you’re eligible.”

And a University of Southern California survey has revealed the bid successful which Covid-19 symptoms typically emerge, perchance helping to abstracted the caller Covid variant from different seasonal illnesses. The grounds bid for the XEC variant is listed arsenic fever first, followed by cough, sore throat, musculus symptom oregon headache, past nausea oregon vomiting, ending with diarrhoea.

Dr Robert Glatter besides pointed retired a cardinal quality with the flu, reported Healthline, saying: "Patients with seasonal flu much commonly developed a cough earlier the onset of fever." Understanding wherever you mightiness beryllium successful the series of symptoms could assistance a aesculapian professional. Dr Joseph Larsen, the pb survey author, highlighted: "Knowing that each unwellness progresses otherwise means that doctors tin place sooner whether idiosyncratic apt has COVID-19, oregon different illness, which tin assistance them marque amended attraction decisions."

The caller XEC Covid strain is successful different ways akin to erstwhile variants, being a mishmash of omicron subvariants. Dr Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, a prof of medicine astatine the University of California, said: "The symptoms look to beryllium the aforesaid arsenic with different caller subvariants of Omicron."

She besides pointed retired that definite groups, including those who are immunocompromised, older, oregon not immune, mightiness acquisition an further symptom. The wellness adept cautioned that these individuals could look much terrible little respiratory tract symptoms, perchance starring to antithetic illnesses specified arsenic pneumonia.