A croaky voice and a sharp, ‘razor blade’ sore throat are emerging as telltale signs of the latest Covid variants now sweeping Britain and the US.
The strains — XFG, dubbed Stratus, and NB.1.8.1, known as Nimbus — are fuelling a surge in infections, with cases doubling since August.
Experts say these do not appear to pose any bigger threat than previous strains of Covid or make people feel more ill.
But recent genetic changes the virus has acquired may make infections more likely.
It comes as health chiefs today launched their winter vaccination drive, urging millions to come forward for Covid and flu jabs as hospitalisations creep up.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said positivity had risen from 7.6 to 8.4 per cent in just a week, while admissions increased from 2.0 to 2.73 per 100,000.
In the US, meanwhile, nationwide Covid wastewater levels, used to measure the community spread of a virus, are ‘moderate,’ according to the CDC, but four states are recording ‘very high’ levels and those in the northeast region are on the rise.
Although scientists are still assessing the two strains, they believe they have slightly different characteristics that have previously been identified.
Patients have reported typical Covid symptoms including shortness of breath, chest tightness, sore or scratchy throat, headaches, body aches and loss of taste or smell.
But Stratus has been identified in particular with persistent dry coughs, tiredness and a fever.
Dr Aaron Glatt, a US-based infectious disease expert, also told Today.com that patients were complaining of ‘severe pain — as if their throat is covered with razor blades’.
He added: ‘While not specific to Covid, this expression has been used to describe sore throat symptoms in some patients with the most recent Covid variant.’
Stratus was first detected in January in Southeast Asia.
By June, the variant had spread to 38 countries, leading the World Health Organization to designate it as a ‘variant under monitoring’.
Nimbus was detected around the same time in China and soon spread across the world to Europe and the US.
According to the UKHSA, roughly 63 per cent of monitored cases in the UK over the last month were Stratus, while 25 per cent were Nimbus.
The health agency advises anyone with symptoms to stay at home if possible and avoid contact with vulnerable people.
Those who must go out are urged to wear a face covering.
But in fresh advice issued last week, they added: ‘Current data does not indicate that these variants lead to more severe illness than other variants in circulation.
‘If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as Covid, and you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work or carry out normal activities, you should avoid contact with vulnerable people and stay at home if possible.
‘For those of us who absolutely can’t stay at home, the Living with Covid guidance remains unchanged, and will reduce the chance of passing on your infection to others.’
Covid tests are no longer free on the NHS, but can still be bought at pharmacies.
Over-75s, people with weakened immune systems and care home residents are eligible for the winter Covid booster, available on the NHS app, online, or at walk-in centres.
Pregnant women and children are also invited for vaccination, and toddlers can this year get a flu spray at community pharmacies.
Some high street chemists are offering private Covid jabs, costing up to £99 ($134).
In the UK, ministers have repeatedly said they won’t resort to imposing lockdowns unless a doomsday Covid variant appears.
A wall of immunity among the population—built up by repeated waves of infection and vaccine rollouts—has given officials confidence to consign pandemic-era measures to history.
Spikes in Covid cases can still cause mass illness across the country, sparking chaos in schools, the health service and public transport.
But officials also no longer track the prevalence of the virus in the same way they used to, as part of the Government’s ushering in of pre-Covid normalities.
The rise in cases also comes just days after a controversial South Korean study claimed Covid vaccines ‘might raise the risk of cancer’.
Published in the journal Biomarker Research, it failed to explain how the jabs could trigger the disease.
Experts dismissed the findings as ‘superficially alarming’, warning the conclusions were hugely overblown.
Scientists have repeatedly said there is no credible evidence that Covid vaccines interfere with tumour suppressors or fuel cancer growth.
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