It was reported in the Mirror on 4 October that the XEC Covid variant has been described as ‘wiping people out’, because it comes with more severe symptoms than some of its predecessors. Indeed, it is likened to the flu due to the intense nature of the side effects.
It was further noted that XEC could well become the dominant variant globally in the next few months, as it appears to have a ‘growth advantage’ and is spreading faster than other circulating variants. It was reported that the strain has been identified as a recombinant variant, emerging when two strains merge. Potentially, a person could be infected with both at the same time.
Furthermore, it was said that, “this particular variant is a combination of the KP. 3.3 and KS. 1.1 strains, sharing genetic characteristics with omicron, the highly contagious but less severe variant first detected in South Africa in 2021.”
Clinical Director’s comment on the situation
The clinical director of population health in Greater Manchester, GP Dr Helen Wall, who was said to have observed that recent coronavirus cases seem more flu-like compared to previous strains, was noted as saying: “We could well be seeing the new Covid variant in practice. At the moment, it seems to be a bit more flu-like than previous iterations of Covid, with a high temperature, a cough, aching body, and headache.
“Some of the symptoms in the past were more cough and cold symptoms, but at the moment, Covid does seem to be wiping people out. But whether that’s Covid is really difficult to say because a lot of the symptoms blur together with other illnesses that are prevalent at this time of year.
“Whether it’s Covid versus flu is hard to separate. People who have the flu tend to be extremely unwell. Sometimes, people say they’ve got the flu but have actually got a bad cold. Generally, if you’ve got true flu, you’re bed bound. With Covid, you might actually be quite well. You might be coughing and having other symptoms, but able to go about your business and you might be unintentionally spreading it to people who are vulnerable.”
Dr Wall was also reported as saying that, with what was described as a potential “tripledemic” on the horizon, eligible individuals should get vaccinated against RSV, Covid, and flu, as she cautioned: “If you’ve been deemed eligible for these vaccines, it’s because we think you’re going to be very ill if you get these and end up in hospital. It’s about keeping that in perspective, you don’t want to look back and wish you’d had the jabs.”
