Medical professionals have issued a high alert across the UK as they monitor the latest Corona virus strain thought to carry "multiple mutations", and urged residents to remain vigilant for symptoms not previously linked to the virus.
After an unexpected rise in Northern Ireland, the World Health Organisation (WHO)has referred to the NB. 1.8.1 strain as a "variant under monitoring."
Medical professionals have further expressed concerns that this mutated Omicron variant may bypass a person’s immunity from previous infection.
NB.1.8.1 has maintained its prevalence in a few parts of Asia, including Hong Kong and China, and has been reported in Australia, the US, Thailand, Egypt, and the Maldives.
The Mirror reported that global concerns over the strain have been experienced following WHO data which indicated that the NB. 1.8.1 variant leaping from 2.5 per cent to over 10 per cent of global sequences just within a month.
Symptoms of new COVID variant
Here are a few symptoms:
- Multiple episodes of coughing in just 24 hours
- Losing sense of smell or taste
- An aching body
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhoea
Experts further mentioned that NB. 1.8.1 consists of several mutations that "may infect cells more efficiently than earlier strains.”
It is pertinent to mention that the WHO has not yet observed any evidence that it causes more severe disease as compared to other variants.
