Current covid variant

[Kcc73]

Hi - as the curve on the covid numbers is going upwards again, (and as I have my first winter cold - testing neg on LFT) I just got to thinking, what is the most common covid variant currently? With it being less in the news, I wasn't sure if it changed from the one in the summer (June/July predominantly)?

Back then I had a very sore throat/aches/tiredness and on this forum, it was widely talked about how the variant seemed to be affecting people more with sore throats and also a lot of people testing pos only after several days of symptoms.

Really hoping covid at the mo is of the milder variety. I hate this feeling like questioning how infectious I / family are with cold symptoms. And before I am bemoaned for being overly worrying, I have a dd with severe OCD/anxiety and that makes me on higher alert as there is a bigger/wider consequence if someone in family have covid.

Thanks
Kc x

I've been looking for recent figures for England cant fid any.
Anyone?

Hi there - I've been looking for that too but can't find the info. the Gov are very shady about it all and trying to sweep it under the carpet I think. I did read there is a new variant they are concerned about though - BF7. I have got covid at the moment - no idea what variant. I'm triple vaxxed and am in my mid 50s and I expected to get a cold or flu - but it's way worse. I'm not even sure if I will recover the way I feel at the moment. so take care out there . I'd started to relax - not wearing a mask - going to the theatre or pubs etc - but if I get better I'm going to be a hermit this winter. Wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy!

They don't know. Hardly anyone can get a PcR test now and lateral flows just give a positive or negative no detail about variant.

We've moved to a 'pretend it's not happening and stop looking for info' phase. That way it's easier to say it's over and doesn't matter anymore.

I’ve just had covid for the second time, I’ve had 5 jabs due no 6. Very similar symptoms to earlier in year, started with sore throat. Didn’t test positive till day 4 of symptoms and only strongly positive for 3/4 days. Would have been easy to miss it. Felt worse than last time though.

The zoe app is suggesting 1.8 million currently have covid in the uk. No idea how accurate that is though as I assume few are logging it now.

Does anyone actually care anymore? If you feel ill, rest, of you’re ok, crack on!

We have just had it - its very infectious but hit us all differently - I had what you would call a very typical cold. DH had a horrible neck pain and has been left 2 weeks later with a cough and is tired. DS had minor cold symptoms. DD was knocked out for 5 days with headache dizziness and nausea.

The symptoms seem to be getting milder and milder even WHO have said the end is in sight!

There’s an interesting thing in the Times today “Omicron called be the last Covid-19 variant we have to battle” : The Omicron variant has now lasted longer than any of those that came before - and with its longevity there’s some hope that the coronavirus may be settling down.

Wouldn't agree the symptoms are getting milder from my personal viewpoint. Currently got covid for the second time since March 2022. Sore throat and headache, cough, raw chest feeling, aches, pains, redness to face without a temperature nausea, odd taste in mouth. I'm fully vaccinated and 42. Same symptoms as in March.

I've been out of action for 9 days now. Started with bad throat, then aches, headaches, snotty nose and massive fatigue. Omg and the cough! Im still having to have a lie down every couple of hours.

Lft says covid neg.

It's far worse than any normal lurgy I've had but
not as bad as flu.

Fed up whatever it is. Haven't even had energy to leave the house.

We didn't log it when we had it in August so there's no accurate way of knowing anything. For the first time in the pandemic we all caught it. Now I know we have all had covid, I'm not sure I will do any more LFTs tbh. I was interested as dh, ds14, ddd7, ds 18 hasn't caught it before. Now we have all had it and survived. Three of the kids aren't vaccinated. We're unlikely to Need hospital next time. We isolated and dh was very unpopular for that with his bosses so.... don't feel the same really knowing he was really unwell and still wanted back, working in school with kids tbh.

You can be as considerate as can be re spreading but it feels the vast majority of people are happy to be in close contact with positive cases.

I have it right now. Felt a bit under the weather on Sunday and tested as I was going to a family event. It was negative. But we had to leave as I had an awful headache which I decided was a migraine, so took a pill and slept for 2 hours. Still felt a bit rubbish but hey, I'd had a negative so just carried on.

My husband then got what we thought was a cold - but a bad one with headache, body aches, night sweats and a sore throat. Tested positive after three days, and I tested positive but with a faint line. The next day I tested again, but this time it was a strong line.

Both now coughing a lot and tired, but basically ok, other than my nose is completely blocked.

So whatever variant this is, I have it. The testing was strange though, I have no idea when I actually caught it.

No-one else at the event seems to have caught it from us so far. Both double vaccinated and one booster.

I have had sore throat since Thursday very tired and achy and cold came out yesterday. Thought might be better today but so tired and nauseous/abdo discomfort - but LFT neg still. I wasn't going to test anymore but reading some of these messages, I folk still only testing positive after few days. Get well soon.

Where on earth have they got that from?

I’m just coming to the end of a second, potentially third bout. I wouldn’t say it’s been milder, but I’m recovering more quickly than previously. It also showed up on LFT at very first, mild symptoms.

@PinkStickleBrick

You can be as considerate as can be re spreading but it feels the vast majority of people are happy to be in close contact with positive cases.

I think if this mysterious "vast majority" that is constantly referenced was actually surveyed, you might find the answer would be "absolutely not".

I had covid 2 weeks ago, as did DH.
I haven't felt that shit since swine flu. Temp was sky high on day 2. Was ill for over a week. Still coughing stuff up.

I'm on day 6 of covid now (no idea what variant) and I haven't been this unwell since I had influenza many years ago. It's vile.

@NeverTalksToStrangers , it’s my first time having it, and it’s every bit as bad as the flu I had in 2016. I’m very fit and slim, and can’t believe I’m having such a rough go of it. Funnily, I know more people with it now than at any point (I’m in the US) and everyone is having a tough time, with vastly suffering symptoms that range from vomiting for days, sinus infections, migraines that last multiple days and breathing problems.

I'm just recovering from a virus I'm sure is Covid but tested negative three times over the course of a week.

Sore throat, coughing, headache and awful fatigue. I've taken the whole week off work which I've never had to do in 31 years of full time work.

I had my tested positive for my third bout 2 weeks ago and it was grim again. The acute symptoms have gone now but I still feel awful, am going back to bed every day after a few hours, throat is still a bit sore, nose still a bit congested, still nauseous and have developed what I assume is costochondritis which is so painful.

the symptoms this time were tickly/sore throat, congestion, aches everywhere, fatigue, nausea, diarrhoea, horrible taste in mouth and cough. I tested positive on my first proper day of symptoms but had felt under the weather the day before.

it’s impossible to track the figures this time as you cannot register a positive from a bought lateral flow test, only the free ones from the government and barely anyone can get those now. Do if the government figures look to be going up a bit, the actual figures of people with Covid must be enormous because hardly anyone can actually register their positive case. From the look of my FB, it’s pretty rife again.

Daughter had covid twice. First was like a bad cold. Second was non-symptomatic. She has had vaccination and booster. Now she has it a third time. Coughing, chills and fever, headache, dizziness, aches and pains, fatigue--and her dog has symptoms too! She went to doctor thinking she had a combination of flu and strep throat, but it's the "new variant".

The Sanger Institute programme suggests that between 87% and 95% of covid sampling is omicron BA5 variant, the remainder being made up of BA4 and BA2. Where sampling is happening, BA5 started to emerge in late April, began to overtake BA2 in late May, and has been almost completely dominant since late June.

And the ONS survey is still running (in slimmed down form) and they cover variants www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19infectionsurveypilot/23september2022#main-points.

A negative LFD doesn't mean you don't have covid - it means you are unlikely to be infectious, which is what the email you got when you used to register them said. ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2020/12/08/lateral-flow-testing-new-rapid-tests-to-detect-covid-19/

Viral load high enough to generate a positive can take a few days to appear, especially in vaccinated people. I am sure I had covid (identical, mild symptoms to my positive dh, had barely seen anyone else) and never went positive too.