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<\/p>\nA new or persistent cough striking in a particular time frame could be a sign you have the new Covid variant sweeping through the UK.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It comes as experts fear a hyper virulent new strain of the virus, dubbed ‘Nimbus’, could drive a wave of cases this summer.<\/p>\n
Official data, published yesterday, show the proportion of Covid tests testing positive for Nimbus has doubled in less than a month, jumping to eight per cent.<\/p>\n
While there are no signs the new strain causes more severe illness or death than other strains, experts warn there are signs its far more contagious.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rise of Nimbus,\u00a0known scientifically as N.B.1.8.1, comes as scientists warn that many people’s immunity from previous infections and Covid jabs has faded.<\/p>\n
Symptoms of Nimbus are thought to be very similar to previous Covid variants.<\/p>\n
These include a\u00a0new or persistent cough, such as three coughing episodes in 24 hours or coughing a lot for more than an hour according to the NHS.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The health service warns that having a high temperature, when you feel hot to touch on your chest or back, or shivering chills are also strong indicators.<\/p>\n
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A new or persistent cough is a tell-tale sign of Covid which is sweeping its way through the UK<\/p>\n
Other classic symptoms include a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste, a sore throat, and shortness of breath.<\/p>\n
Fatigue, a runny nose, body aches, headaches, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea are also potential signs you have the virus.<\/p>\n
Whilst the new Nimbus variant is thought to have similar symptoms to other strains, a doctor recently warned it can cause ‘razor blade sore throat’.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
This can feel like a sharp, stabbing pain while swallowing, often in the back of the\u00a0throat, said to\u00a0Dr Naveed Asif, a GP at The London General Practice.<\/p>\n
Other potential symptoms linked to the strain are redness in the back of the mouth and swollen glands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘However, symptoms can vary widely so vigilance is key’, Dr Asif told Manchester Evening News.<\/a><\/p>\n Other data, published by The UK Health Security Agency, show the proportion of people testing positive for the virus in general is on the rise.<\/p>\n The number of Covid tests returning positive for any form of the virus has increased to 6.8 per cent as of June 15, the latest available data.<\/p>\n This is up from 5.6 per cent last month and represents the highest figure recorded so far this year.<\/p>\n Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n