A new Covid strain is currently on track to become the most dominant strain across the UK.
The virus is constantly evolving, and the latest mutation is called Orthrus - or CH.1.1. It's a sub-variant of Omicron and was first identified in November last year.
Since January, Orthrus is believed to account for around 23 per cent of all Covid cases in England.
In the first week of 2023, England, Scotland and Wales recorded more than 30,000 new Covid cases (data is not available for Northern Ireland).
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Following the highly contagious Covid variant Kraken - also known as XBB.1.5 - experts have warned Orthrus is primed to 'take over' from the current dominant variant, BQ.1.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) explained: “The analysis shows that coronavirus cases in the UK are primarily made up of BQ.1 and its sublineages, consistent with the UKHSA risk assessment published in October.
“Two variants, CH.1.1 and XBB.1.5, appear to have a growth advantage in the UK.
“Both are variants in the Omicron family.
“XBB.1.5 remains at very low prevalence in the UK, so estimates of growth are highly uncertain.
“The risk assessment conducted by UKHSA together with academic partners found that CH.1.1 and XBB.1.5 are currently the variants most likely to take over from BQ.1 as the next dominant variant in the UK, unless further novel variants arise.”
What are the symptoms of Orthrus?
Both the new Orthrus variant and Kraken have been said to share the same symptoms as Omicron.
The ZOE Health Study lists the most common symptoms as:
- Runny nose
Fatigue (mild or severe)
- Headache
Sore throat.
- Sneezing
Vaccine alliance Gavi reported that symptoms of Kraken have been more 'cold-like than flu-like' - which was particularly true among those who have either been vaccinated or have had COVID-19 before, it said.
Where is the Orthrus variant found?
Research group, the Sanger Institute, has created genomic mapping that highlights where the Orthrus strain is prevalent in England.
Locations include Adur, Blackburn with Darwen, Bradford, Breckland, Central Bedfordshire, Crawley, Enfield, Havering, Northumberland, North West Leicestershire, Oxford, Reading, Sevenoaks, Wakefield and Woking.
Currently, the worst hit is Blackburn with Darwen, which has a lower estimate for Orthrus cases of 43 per cent and an upper estimate of 100 per cent.
In an update, Doctor Meera Chand, director of clinical and emerging infections at UKHSA, said: “Through our genomic surveillance, we continue to see evolution of variants in the Omicron family.
“Vaccination remains our best defence against future Covid-19 waves, so it is still as important as ever that people come take up all the doses for which they are eligible as soon as possible.”
Although there are no legal restrictions, the NHS still advises staying home and avoiding contact with others for five days if you test positive for Covid.
It also recommends avoiding contact with vulnerable people for ten days after testing positive.
Who is eligible for the Covid jab?
People are able to get the booster because they are considered at risk by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
This includes pregnant women, people who have a learning disability or severe mental illness, or another condition that makes them eligible, such as diabetes, epilepsy, blood cancer and asthma. Other chronic conditions outlined in the government's Green Book (which has the latest information on vaccines and vaccination procedures).
Around 6.4 million people are eligible for the jab due to a medical condition, and while the NHS has now invited everyone, people are also able to self-declare if they think they should have been invited or, for example, because they have only recently become eligible.
So far, around 350,000 people have self-declared as being at risk in order to get their jab.
Who is eligible for the flu vaccine?
The flu vaccine is given free on the NHS to adults who:
- Are 50 and over (including those who will be 50 by 31 March 2023)
- Have certain health conditions
- Are pregnant
- Are in long-stay residential care
- Receive a carer's allowance, or are the main carer for an older or disabled person who may be at risk if you get sick
- Live with someone who is more likely to get a severe infection due to a weakened immune system, such as someone living with HIV, someone who has had a transplant, or is having certain treatments for cancer, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
Who is at increased risk from Covid-19 - what the NHS says
People aged 16 years and over:
- A long-term lung condition, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma (if you need steroid tablets) or cystic fibrosis
- A long-term heart condition, such as congenital heart disease, chronic heart failure or atrial fibrillation
- Long term kidney disease (CKD) stage 3, 4 or 5
- A severe liver disease, such as cirrhosis
- A long-term problem with the brain or nerves, such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Huntington’s disease, myasthenia gravis, or a stroke or transient ischaemic attack
- Severe or multiple learning disabilities (or being on the learning disability register), such as Down’s syndrome
- Diabetes or another hormone disorder, such as Addison’s disease
A severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
- A weakened immune system, due to a medical treatment (such as steroid medicine, biological therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy), a condition (such as leukaemia), or from having an organ or bone marrow transplant
- Problems with the spleen, having no spleen or having a condition that can affect the spleen (such as sickle cell disease)
- Being severely obese (having a body mass index (BMI) over 40 or above.
- Being pregnant (all stages)
- Living in a long-stay nursing and residential care home as a younger adult.
Children aged 5 to 15 years:
- A long-term lung condition, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma (if you need steroid tablets) or cystic fibrosis
- A long-term heart condition, such as congenital heart disease or chronic heart failure
- A long-term condition of the kidney, liver or digestive system
- A long-term problem with the brain or nerves, such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, an inherited condition or autism
- Severe or multiple learning disabilities (or being on the learning disability register), such as Down’s syndrome
- Diabetes or another hormone disorder, such as Addison’s disease
- A weakened immune system, due to a medical treatment (such as steroid medicine, biological therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy), a condition (such as leukaemia), a genetic condition or from having an organ or bone marrow transplant
- Problems with the spleen, having no spleen or having a condition that can affect the spleen (such as sickle cell disease)
- A serious genetic condition that affects multiple systems in the body, such as mitochondrial disease
- Being pregnant (all stages)
- Living in a long-stay nursing and residential care home as a younger adult.
