Worries are growing throughout the UK amid reports of flu-like symptoms spreading across the country. Many are worried about a potential Covid infection. Amidst these concerns, two new Covid strains, FLiRT and LB.1, have emerged and are on the rise this summer, leading to widespread illness.
To alleviate public concern, Dr. Xand van Tulleken emphasised on BBC Morning Live the importance of being vigilant for specific “red flag” symptoms, and discussed whether or not we should be worried at all.
He clarified: “There is a lot going around and let me deal with the Covid stuff first of all because I think it still has a troubling memory for a lot of people. It is wildly different now to the point where even the vaccine programme has been scaled back enormously by the government.”
“There is a new group of variants going around, they are being intensively studied and monitored. The truth is the health agency is monitoring it and keeping an eye on it. But there has been a very tiny uptick in hospital admissions. But largely we have this, kind of, almost all of us have some sort of immunity.”
Despite more people being hospitalised, he emphasises that people do not need to worry, adding: “Largely Covid is not going to cause significant problems for a huge number of people.”
When asked about the significance of a cough, the doctor explained: “A cough is such a difficult symptom because everyone has had it. We all clear our throats all the time, we’ve all had coughs and colds that go away very routinely.
“And yet often in telly dramas and movies, a cough is seen as a precursor to something sinister, and so it can be a symptom that people worry about but don’t really feel that they are entitled to go to the GP.”
The expert then listed some red flag and warning signs, urging people to see a GP if they experience these symptoms, which he referred to as the “big red flags I worry about”.
These include:
- Chest pain.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Coughing up blood.
- Swollen and painful neck.
What are the symptoms of the new variants, FLiRT and LB. 1?
- fever.
- cough.
- fatigue.
- loss of taste or smell.
- sore throat.
- muscle or body aches.
- shortness of breath.
- headache.
- runny nose.