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New Covid variant alert with 'unusual' symptoms as doctors issue warning

New Covid variant alert with 'unusual' symptoms as doctors issue warning

Edinburgh Live3 days ago

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Health officials have issued a stark warning about a new strain of coronavirus, which comes with unusual symptoms, following a surge in cases.
Irish residents are being urged to self-isolate for two days if they display any signs of Covid, as the new variant is also causing gastrointestinal problems. The variant, known as NB. 1.8.1, has already been identified in the UK, US and Australia.
Experts have emphasised that while previous strains have been associated with flu-like symptoms, NB. 1.8.1 can cause gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and heartburn, reports the Mirror.
Patients who experience bloating, constipation and abdominal pain could also find themselves diagnosed with Covid-19.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has added the variant to its official watch list and suggested that it is more transmissible than other strains.
However, there isn't any evidence to suggest that it causes more severe illnesses.
According to WHO, the strain first appeared in January and by late April it was responsible for around 10.7% of global infections, up from just 2.5% a month earlier.
The strain has seen a rapid rise in Ireland in recent weeks.
According to data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), the proportion of sequenced Covid samples linked to NB. 1.8.1 jumped from 3.7% to 27.3% in the last five weeks, reports Dublin Live.
The new Covid variant NB. 1.8.1, already dominant in regions of Asia like China and Hong Kong, has been detected in holiday hotspots including Thailand, Egypt, and the Maldives. Dr Lara Herrero, Research Leader in Virology at Griffith University, highlighted the symptoms: "Common symptoms [of NB.1.8.1] include sore throat, fatigue, fever, mild cough, muscle aches and nasal congestion. Gastrointestinal symptoms may also occur in some cases."
With unseasonal cold symptoms or stomach issues possibly indicating Covid, Irish health authorities advise those feeling ill to stay home until they're symptom-free for 48 hours and to steer clear of high-risk individuals.
Current public health advice in Ireland stresses the importance of self-isolation if exhibiting any signs of Covid, with particular attention given to keeping away from vulnerable individuals until you've been clear of majority or all symptoms for two days.
Covid symptoms to look out for

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'Life, amidst death, has to continue': Molly Jong-Fast on her new book and watching her mother fade away
'Life, amidst death, has to continue': Molly Jong-Fast on her new book and watching her mother fade away

BBC News

time33 minutes ago

  • BBC News

'Life, amidst death, has to continue': Molly Jong-Fast on her new book and watching her mother fade away

BBC Special Correspondent Katty Kay chats with author Molly Jong-Fast about her memoir, How to Lose Your Mother, which tackles the life, legacy, and decline of her mother, Erica Jong. The death of a mother or father is one of the things we don't talk about much in modern life, maybe because it scares us. But it's a universal reality. Nearly all of us will go through it at some point. Molly Jong-Fast is a political commentator and writer for Vanity Fair who has just written a new memoir, How to Lose Your Mother. The book is Jong-Fast's account of her mother and feminist author Erica Jong's descent into dementia, which began the same year that Jong-Fast's husband, professor Matthew Adlai Greenfield, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The book is an honest, emotional and at times funny account of how Jong-Fast got through that horrible time. 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Ohio chemical spill sparks mass evacuations and flight groundings
Ohio chemical spill sparks mass evacuations and flight groundings

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Ohio chemical spill sparks mass evacuations and flight groundings

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'Inspiring' hospital chaplain dies as tributes paid to 'passionate and compassionate' woman
'Inspiring' hospital chaplain dies as tributes paid to 'passionate and compassionate' woman

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'Inspiring' hospital chaplain dies as tributes paid to 'passionate and compassionate' woman

Reverend Captain Katie Watson has been described as a "unique, inspiring, passionate and compassionate" person who had touched thousands of lives. A popular hospital chaplain died just a month after being discharged from an inpatient mental health ward where she had been "treading water" for months, an inquest heard. Reverend Captain Katie Watson has been described by her partner Dr Emily Watson as a "unique, inspiring, passionate and compassionate" person who had touched thousands of lives. Capt Watson, who was an ordained deacon, appeared in the Channel 4 documentary Geordie Hospital and through her work at the RVI and the Freeman Hospitals she had become a much-loved local figure before her death on September 20 last year. ‌ The show, which highlighted work at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman Hospital during the later periods of the Covid-19 pandemic, featured her on the wards supporting colleagues and patients, along with welfare dogs Poppy Jingles and Fern. 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Another issue saw details of a discharge letter shared with Rev'd Capt Watson via the NHS App, causing her distress as elements of her "formulation" had not be discussed with her. Welsh also said she could "understand the position that Katie was treading water" when on the ward, rather than making progress with regard to her recovery. She added that issues at work had "clearly caused Katie distress" but added: "In my view these issues were managed appropriately by the trust." The coroner paid tribute to Rev'd Capt Watson, saying: "As an army captain, but then Chaplain Katie had great empathy for those she was involved with at work, where she went above and beyond." She said that "underlying issues" appeared to have come to the fore - and added: "In short, although some elements of her care could have been done differently, it's my view this would not have altered the outcome for Katie. Therefore my conclusion must be one of suicide." ‌ Acting senior coroner Welsh added that those she worked with in pathology had spoken highly of Rev'd Capt Watson - and that she was described as "exceptionally helpful" in complex and difficult cases involving the deaths of children. Following the inquest, Dr Watson paid a moving tribute. She said: "Katie was a unique, inspiring, passionate and compassionate person who touched the lives of thousands of people. I am very grateful for the many hundreds of cards and messages I received when she died, and all the stories of how her ministry supported people at some of their darkest times. It is desperately sad that she wasn't able to see for herself how loved she was, and I am sorry that mental health services in their current condition were not able to help her. She is deeply missed by us all." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. ‌ The inquest earlier evidence both from the psychiatric consultants - employed by the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust - who were responsible for Rev'd Capt Watson's care in hospital and in the community. Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust joint medical director Dr Michael Wright also gave evidence as to the issues experienced at work. Dr Wright said: "It's of immense concern to me and many others that a member of staff - one of our members of staff most valued by others - clearly at times did not feel that way. We have all reflected as to whether we did all we could to make her feel valued and [to show her] quite how important she was to our organisation. Procedures and processes were followed but does that mean there isn't anything we can learn from this? Absolutely not." He agreed that Revd Capt Watson was a "huge miss" and said work was ongoing to embed an NHS England "toolkit" designed to prevent NHS staff from dying due to suicide. The inquest had heard how her "exceptionally high standards" may have put herself under significant strain, while psychiatrists also referred to her experience of trauma during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic. ‌ In court, Dr Watson queried why the trauma that her partner had experienced was not considered a greater factor in her diagnostic "formulation" while an inpatient - which instead focussed on "personality traits" and "emotionally unstable personality disorder". It was an element of this diagnosis was mentioned in a letter that one of Rev'd Capt Watson's consultants had not realised would be uploaded to her NHS App - and this caused her "significant distress" in the weeks prior to her death. However, Dr Faheem Ahmad said the opinion of staff at the inpatient ward during her months-long admission had been that Capt Watson's struggles were focussed around situations at her workplace and her "anger" at those. Dr Rachael Hall spoke in court to say she had not realised this would be the case and had made an urgent effort - accepted by Rev'd Capt Watson, to speak with her, explain the situation and continue their work together. Rev'd Capt Watson's death last autumn saw huge numbers of tributes - including from the senior Church of England Bishop of Newcastle and Northumberland. Right Reverend Dr Helen-Ann Hartley and the Right Reverend Mark Wroe. They said: "It is with a profound sense of sadness and grief that we received the news about Katie, and our first thoughts are with her partner Emily and their children and all who knew and loved Katie. "From her much valued work as a hospital chaplain, which reached beyond the bounds of the North East, to her many colleagues from her past career, and the sporting and running communities she was a part of, to all of us here in the Diocese of Newcastle, we mourn her death with a deep feeling of loss."

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