Eris: New COVID-19 coronavirus variant detailed

Cases of COVID-19 have continued to rise across the UK and other parts of the world in recent weeks, with certain variants of the disease blamed.

According to government figures, there were a total of 11,668 Covid cases in England, 328 in Wales, and 1,615 in Scotland in the seven days up to September 8.

This has sparked concern from health bodies and experts, with some recommending a return to mask wearing and other precautions.

To help curb the spread it is also vital that any signs of infection are spotted as soon as possible.

A leading US doctor has shared three Covid symptoms people must watch out for.

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He explained that those who have been testing positive are showing “really mild symptoms”, in some cases making it hard to distinguish the virus from a cold or allergies.

Speaking to NBC News, Doctor Erick Eiting – vice chair of operations for emergency medicine at Mount Sinai Downtown, said: “The only way that we knew that it was Covid was because we happened to be testing them.”

The three most common symptoms to look for, according to Dr Eiting, are:

• Congestion (a blocked nose)
• Sneezing
• A mild sore throat.

“It isn’t the same typical symptoms that we were seeing before,” he said.

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“It’s a lot of congestion, sometimes sneezing, usually a mild sore throat.”

He warned that the sore throat typically kicks in first, followed by congestion.

This is backed by evidence found by the ZOE Health Study, which collects self-reported symptoms data from UK residents.

The study suggests that a sore throat became more common in late 2021, after the spread of the Omicron variant.

As of its last update, the top symptoms reported by ZOE are a sore throat, runny nose, blocked nose and sneezing.

Various experts and outlets have reported that COVID-19 symptoms are generally milder now compared to at the start of the pandemic.

Director of the Centre for Virology and Vaccine Research at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Dr Dan Barouch, explained this could be due to vaccines and previous infections.

He told NBC News: “Overall, the severity of Covid is much lower than it was a year ago and two years ago.

“That’s not because the variants are less robust. It’s because the immune responses are higher.”

It is thought the Eris strain of Covid, also known as EG.5.1, is currently the most prevalent in the UK.

Yale Medicine reports that common symptoms of Eris include a runny nose, sore throat, and other cold-like symptoms.

If you have Covid the NHS recommends avoiding contact with others for at least five days, and vulnerable people for 10.

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