People are being urged to call 999 or go to hospital if they experience one of six things after contracting COVID-19 amid a surge in cases. The NHS has issued guidance on what to do if you have extreme symptoms as experts believe a new strain could become dominant in the UK.
The XEC variant was first discovered in Germany and has since been found in 27 countries across Europe, Asia, and North America. The global case count exceeds 600, including 82 confirmed instances within the UK.
It is thought to be highly transmissible due to a number of mutations it carries. This comes as cases of Covid are rising in the UK again. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), cases of Covid increased in England throughout September.
In the seven days up to September 25, there were 2,797 recorded cases of Covid – an increase of 530 from the week prior. And in the week up to September 20 there was a 50 percent increase in Covid deaths in England, with 134 recorded.
The most recent UKHSA data shows a 2.8 percent increase in Covid cases in the week up to October 2 with a total of 2,912 confirmed cases, while hospital admissions rose that week by six percent.
When to call 999
Under its Covid advice, the NHS website states you should call 999 or go to A&E if you or a child:
- Seems very unwell, is getting worse or you think there’s something seriously wrong – children and babies in particular can get unwell very quickly
- Get sudden chest pain
- Are so breathless you’re unable to say short sentences when resting or your breathing has suddenly got worse – in babies their stomach may suck in under their ribs
- Start coughing up blood
- Collapse, faint, or have a seizure or fit for the first time
- Have a rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis.
For most people, symptoms of Covid will not be severe and should clear up within a couple of weeks.
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While self-isolation rules in the UK are no longer mandatory, the NHS has recommended that you try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you have symptoms and either:
- Have a high temperature
- Or do not feel well enough to go to work, school or do your normal activities.
On its website the NHS says: “You can go back to your normal activities when you feel better or do not have a high temperature. 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.”
If you take a test and are positive, the health body says you should:
- Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for three days after the day the test was taken if you or your child are under 18 years old – children and young people tend to be infectious to other people for less time than adults
- Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days after the day you took your test if you are 18 years old or over
- Avoid meeting people who are more likely to get seriously ill from viruses, such as people with a weakened immune system, for 10 days after the day you took your test.
Symptoms
Symptoms of XEC are thought to be similar to other strains of Covid and can include:
- 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 three 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.
Booster jabs will be available until December 20 this year. They will be offered to those deemed most vulnerable to Covid, which include:
- Over-65s
- People aged between six months and 64 years with health conditions that make them more vulnerable
- People living in care homes for older people
- Frontline health and social-care staff, including in care homes for older people.
The NHS will contact eligible patients directly, but they can also book their own appointments now via the NHS App, GPs, pharmacies, drop-in clinics, or by calling 119. Anyone also entitled to the flu jab, will be offered this at the same time.