A new Corona variant increases hospitalizations in Britain

With the emergence of a new coronavirus variant, the UK’s Health Security Agency has described the rise in hospital admissions due to Covid as “worrying”.

In details, the British agency’s statistics revealed that the rate of hospital admissions due to the new mutant “XEC” reached 4.5 per 100,000 people in the week that ended on October 6, a noticeable increase over 3.7 in the previous week. .

The northeast of the country recorded the highest rates of hospital admissions at 8.12 per 100,000 people, while the age group 85 years and above witnessed an alarming increase of 52.48 per 100,000, according to the agency’s statistics.

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In other countries, cases of the new mutant that was first discovered in Germany in June were detected, including the United States, Denmark, and other countries.

The symptoms of the new variant, which is a combination of the KS.1.1 and KP.3.3 variants, are similar to the symptoms of other variants, which are fatigue, headache, sore throat, and high temperature.

Since it belongs to the “Amicron” strain of the Corona virus, experts confirm that following vaccine updates and booster doses provides sufficient protection against severe infection with the disease and clinical hospitalization.

This mutant is characterized by mutations in the basic building blocks, as phenylalanine has been changed to leucine, and arginine to threonine in the spike protein that the virus uses to attach to human cells.

The second mutant of the Omicron strain, KP3.3, belongs to the FLuQE class, as the amino acid glutamine is mutated with glutamic acid on the spike protein, which increases the effectiveness of its attachment to human cells.

For its part, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention stresses the need to adhere to personal hygiene and follow steps to improve air quality.

Researchers also urged to intensify follow-up of the new variant to better understand its symptoms.

What are the symptoms of the new mutant “XEC”?

The new mutant appears with symptoms similar to those that accompany colds and influenza in other previous variants, most notably:

• Increase in body temperature

• Pain in various parts of the body

• Fatigue and exhaustion

• Cough or sore throat

As with Covid in general, most people feel better within a few weeks, while others need longer to recover.

How to get the vaccine?

Britain’s National Health Service began offering booster doses of the Covid vaccine in the fall to groups most at risk. The following groups can receive booster doses of the Covid vaccine from the NHS between 3 October and 20 December:

People over 65 years of age.

People between the ages of six months and 64 years who have health conditions that put them at greater risk, including pregnant women.

People living in nursing homes for the elderly.

Frontline NHS and social care workers, and those who work in care homes for older people.

Those eligible to receive the vaccine can also book their own appointments through the NHS app, outpatient clinics, general practitioners, pharmacies, outpatient clinics, or by calling 119.