New Covid strain causes 'unusual' symptoms as Irish told to stay home if unwell
With a rise in Covid cases once again making headlines around the world, Irish health officials are urging the public to stay at home if they're feeling unwell.
A new variant, known as NB.1.8.1, has now been detected in Ireland. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the strain first emerged in January and by late April was responsible for approximately 10.7% of global infections, up from just 2.5% a month earlier.
The WHO recently added NB.1.8.1 to its official watch list, noting that while the variant may be more transmissible than previous strains, there is no evidence it causes more severe symptoms or illness. 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.
The variant has already become dominant in parts of Asia, including China and Hong Kong, and has also been confirmed in the UK, US, Australia and popular holiday hotspots such as Thailand, Egypt and the Maldives. Doctors are seeing a shift in the symptom profile compared to earlier variants. While previous strains largely caused cold and flu like symptoms, this new variant has been linked to gastrointestinal issues in some patients - which can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, bloating, constipation, abdominal pain and even heartburn.
Dr Lara Herrero, Associate Professor and Virology Research Leader at Griffith University, explained: "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." Irish people who find themselves unwell with unseasonal cold symptoms or gastrointestinal issues may actually have Covid, according to the HSE.
Ireland's public health guidelines remain the same: If you have any symptoms of Covid, stay at home until 48 hours after the symptoms are mostly or fully gone. You should also avoid contact with other people, especially people at higher risk from Covid.
The HSE is reminding the public of the wide range of Covid symptoms to look out for. These include:
fever (high temperature - 38C or above) - including having chills
dry cough
fatigue (tiredness)
loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this could mean they're completely gone or just different to normal
nasal congestion (runny or blocked nose)
conjunctivitis (also known as red eye or pink eye)
sore throat
headache
muscle or joint pain (aches and pains)
different types of skin rash
nausea or vomiting
diarrhoea
chills
dizziness
shortness of breath or breathing difficulties
loss of appetite
confusion
pain or pressure in the chest.
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