Since the coronavirus pandemic began more than three years ago, many new strains have been discovered.
Some have been of minor concern, only affecting us like a common cold. While others, like the omicron strain, sparked fear among experts – especially as the number of infections increased.
The virus is continuing to mutate, producing new strains, and new concerns. Last summer, the UK was struck by the Eris and Pirola variants.
READ MORE: Covid variant with 40 mutations rips through UK as millions still need their booster
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Now Brits are set to be struck by another new strain, which experts are dubbing the “grandchild” of Omicron. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data claims the HV.1 variant is the most dominant strain in the US – one quater of all cases, as reported by the Express.
Eris – also called EG.5 – makes up around 22% of cases. Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic, explained how these strains share some similarities with Omicron.
However, the two display some differences, "and most of those mutations are rendering the virus, including HV.1, to be able to spread more efficiently from person to person," according to Mr Binnicker. Speaking to Today.com, Dr William Schaffner - professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre - also highlighted how contagious the HV.1 variant is.
He said: "You can almost think of HV.1 as a grandchild of Omicron. One of the characteristics of this entire Omicron family is that they are highly transmissible."
As reported by the AARP, Dr Binnicker advised getting vaccinated against Covid to best protect yourself from a severe infection that could result in a hospital admission or death. But the uptake for an autumn booster jab in the US has been low, with a survey showing just 7% of Americans had had theirs.
"And that's just not high enough," Binnicker said. “We need to have a higher percentage vaccinated because we are seeing patients with Covid end up in the hospital and on ventilators."
He also recommended wearing face masks in public spaces and washing your hands regularly. He added: "That's really important to help prevent spread as well."
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Symptoms
- Sore throat
- Congestion or stuffiness
- Runny nose
- Cough
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Fever or chills.
Although testing and isolating is no longer mandatory in the UK, the NHS recommends staying home and avoiding contact with others if you experience symptoms of Covid or test positive.
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