First detected in Germany in June, XEC has now been reported in many countries across Europe - and makes up one in 10 COVID-19 cases in England and Wales
UK’s NHS has issued a warning over what to do if you test positive for COVID-19, as fears grow that a new strain could become dominant in the UK. Although isolation is no longer compulsory, the health service advises staying at home and avoiding contact with others for at least five days after testing positive.
First detected in Germany in June, XEC has now been reported in many countries across Europe - and makes up one in 10 COVID-19 cases in England and Wales.
“If you are showing symptoms of flu or Covid-19 such as a high temperature, cough, and feeling tired and achy, try to limit your contact with others, especially those who are vulnerable," Dr. Jamie Lopez Bernal, from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) told reporters.
XEC is not as deadly as its predecessors
According to scientists, XEC is not likely to be as deadly as some of its predecessors but is more contagious. “Current information doesn’t suggest we should be more concerned about this variant, but we are monitoring this closely," Dr. Jamie added. The global case count of this strain of Omicron exceeds 600, including 82 confirmed instances within the UK.
It is thought to be highly transmissible due to a number of mutations it carries with experts believing it could become the dominant strain.
Hospitalizations have increased
The UKHSA also warned that hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have seen a slight increase in the country in the past couple of weeks. The admission rate for patients testing positive for the coronavirus stood at 4.5 per 100,000 people in the week to October 6, up from 3.7 a week earlier. According to the NHS, it is the fourth weekly rise in a row.
Last year around the same time, admissions stood at the higher rate of 6.2 per 100,000 people, before falling in subsequent weeks – then peaking at 5.2 over Christmas.
UKHSA warns of ‘triple threat’
According to UKHSA, there is an increased ‘triple threat’, of COVID-19, flu, and RSV or Respiratory syncytial virus - all of which are viruses that infect the respiratory tract and can cause cold-like symptoms – which could hit this upcoming winter.
“COVID-19 is continuing to circulate, with a slight increase in hospitalizations over the past two weeks," said Dr. Jamie. “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," he added.
The NHS guidelines
According to the NHS, you may return to your routine activities once you feel better or are no longer running a temperature. "You can go back to your normal activities when you feel better or do not have a high temperature," the health service advises online.
For children with minor symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or mild cough, the recommendation is: "If your child has mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat or mild cough, and they feel well enough, they can go to school or childcare."
Other XEC symptoms include:
- A high temperature or shivering
- A new, continuous cough, which means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
- A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
- Breathlessness
- Feeling tired or exhausted
- Having a body ache
- A headache
- A blocked or runny nose
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhoea
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