Nasty symptoms of new Covid variant as 180 people hit in latest wave
The variant, officially named NB.1.8.1 but dubbed 'Nimbus', has now been detected in Ireland and is spreading fast, with health officials reporting that cases are climbing across the country.
According to Ireland's Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), confirmed Covid cases across all variants rose sharply from 152 two weeks ago to 332 in the past week, a jump of 180 new cases in the last fortnight.
Of those sequenced, Nimbus made up 14% of recent cases and has now been added to the World Health Organization's (WHO) watchlist, after global numbers went from just 2.5% in March to over 10% by late April.
While the new strain doesn't appear to cause more severe illness, experts fear it may be more contagious, and its symptoms are catching many people off guard.
While older variants typically presented like a bad cold or flu, NB.1.8.1 is now being linked to stomach-related issues, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea constipation, bloating, 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."
People in Ireland who find themselves unwell with 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:
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