The new Covid strain is spreading rapidly: Watch out for these symptoms!

Although the corona virus, which emerged three years ago, has been prevented with vaccines and measures, new variants still threaten public health. The new variant is thought to be the grandson of Omikron.

Although some variants of the coronavirus only manifest themselves with a minor cold, the virus continues to mutate, creating new strains and new concerns. While the UK was affected by the Eris and Pirola variants last summer, a new variant, described as the grandson of Omikron, is now threatening.

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data claim that the HV.1 variant is the most dominant strain in the US. Eris, also called EG.5, accounts for about 22 per cent of cases. Matthew Binnicker, director of virology at the Mayo Clinic, explained that these variants bear some similarities to Omicron.

"YOU CAN ALMOST THINK OF HV.1 AS THE GRANDSON OF OMICRON" According to Binnicker, many of these mutations, including HV.1, cause the virus to spread more effectively from person to person. Dr William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, also emphasised how infectious the HV.1 variant is: "You can almost think of HV.1 as the grandson of Omicron. One of the characteristics of the whole Omikron family is that they are highly contagious."

Dr Binnicker recommended vaccination against Covid to protect against a serious infection that could result in hospitalisation or death. However, the uptake of booster vaccination in the US in autumn was low. According to a survey, only 7 per cent of Americans had been vaccinated.

Binnicker said this percentage was not high: "We need a higher percentage of vaccinations because we see Covid patients being hospitalised and put on a respirator." Binnicker also recommended wearing masks in public places and washing hands regularly.

HERE ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE NEW VARIANT: 1. Sore throat 2. Obstruction or congestion 3. Runny nose 4. Cough 5. Burnout 6. Headache 7. Muscle aches 8. Fever or chills