A new, explosive strain of Corona… and a wave of fear is hitting this country

Britain has entered a wave of extreme anxiety due to the emergence of a new mutant strain of the “Covid 19” virus, a strain that doctors described as an “explosive new strain” that could renew the epidemic crisis that emerged in the year 2020.

The health authorities quickly began taking strict new measures to combat the spread of the virus called Norovirus after it became clear that hundreds of beds in British hospitals were currently occupied by people infected with this virus.

A report published by the British newspaper “Daily Mail” and seen by “Al Arabiya.net” said that British hospitals began banning visitors from entering after the number of cases of infection with this virus increased, as health officials fear a new “Covid” wave that may result from this “new explosive strain.” “.

The British Medical Services Authority (NHS) defines this virus, called “norovirus,” as “a winter illness that causes vomiting,” and says that “in most infections, it causes inflammation of the intestines and stomach.”

According to the Daily Mail, patients with this virus currently occupy about 498 beds in British hospitals, an increase of 19 percent compared to seven days ago and 15 percent over last year, according to data from the National Health Service in England.

As a result of the outbreak, hospitals began closing visitor wards in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus, according to the British newspaper.

Patients usually improve within a few days, but cases among patients are increasing pressure on hospitals already suffering from a spike in other seasonal illnesses.

This comes at a time when health officials fear that the new Corona virus will cause a new wave of infection and lead to a new stifling crisis in the National Health Service.

A spokeswoman for Chester Hospital said the hospital had begun limiting the number of visitors due to the significant rise in cases, forcing it to close at least one ward. She warned that the virus was “active among a small but growing number of patients” and that staff were at risk of contracting it as well. .

“We all know someone who has had some form of the virus,” said Sue Pemberton, assistant chief executive, adding: “This is now starting to spread into hospital admissions, with a much higher volume of norovirus cases than last year exacerbated by this cold weather.” the week”.

She continued: “It is clear that we need to contain and control infection cases in our hospitals to prevent their spread, and therefore we have taken the difficult but necessary decision to temporarily stop visits to the hospital and all wards for acutely ill adult inpatients.” The spokeswoman stressed that “restricting visits is the right thing to do to protect all people.”

Doctors say that the symptoms of this virus include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, while some infected people may also suffer from fever, headache, and pain in the arms and legs. Most people improve within two to three days and can manage their condition at home by resting and drinking plenty of fluids.

NHS data in Britain shows that an average of 234 flu patients were in hospital every day last week, an increase of 53 percent in just one week.