Should we be worried about new Covid strain Nimbus as UK cases rise?
The new variant of Covid NB.1.8.1 is more easily spread than past strains of the virus.
A new strain of Covid that causes some new and unusual symptoms has been found in the UK and 21 other countries so far, including Australia, China and India. The variant has been named NB.1.8.1, or "Nimbus", and is similar to the Omicron strain of the virus.
This new version of the disease is making up a "growing proportion" of Covid cases worldwide, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Scientists have discovered that this new variant can spread far more easily than previous strains of Covid, and the World Health Organisation have deemed it a "variant under monitoring".
New and unusual symptoms have been associated with Nimbus, including heartburn, along with some other gastrointestinal signs like nausea, diarrhoea, and a severe sore throat that causes a "razor-blade sensation". Nimbus is rising worldwide, and 13 cases had been found in the UK as of yesterday, June 10.
But is this new variant of Covid something we should be worrying about?
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, UKHSA Deputy Director, said: "NB.1.8.1 has been detected in small numbers in the UK to date, but international data suggests that it is growing as a proportion of all COVID-19 cases.
"Based on the available information so far however, there is no evidence to suggest that this variant causes more severe disease than previous variants, or that the vaccines in current use will be less effective against it."
Dr Chun Tang, GP at UK private healthcare centre Pall Mall Medical, said: 'NB.1.8.1 isn't too different from the Omicron variant, but it does have some tweaks to its spike protein, which might make it spread a bit more easily or slip past some of our existing immunity.
'That said, early signs suggest it doesn't seem to cause more serious illness, but of course, we're still learning more about it.'
WHO have announced that the risks posed by Nimbus to the public are low, and that existing Covid vaccinations are thought to be effective against the new variant, which was first discovered in January of this year.
However, those suffering from symptoms of the NB.1.8.1 Covid variant are being advised by UKHSA to stay home to prevent further spreading of the highly-transmissible virus.
The full list of symptoms are;
a high temperature or shivering (chills) – a high temperature means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
shortness of breath
feeling tired or exhausted
an aching body
a headache
a sore throat
a blocked or runny nose
loss of appetite
diarrhoea
feeling sick or being sick
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