Symptom that hits '3 times in 24 hours' could signal Covid
The latest figures also highlighted two of the most dominant Covid variants at the moment
People should stay vigilant for signs of COVID-19 as there's been a marginal uptick in cases across the UK. Government data reveals that in the week up to June 15, there has been an increase in the number of confirmed Covid infections in England.
This included people in hospital who were given PCR tests. Hospital admissions due to coronavirus also increased slightly compared to the previous week.
The predominant strains circulating during that time were identified as LP. 8.1.1 and XFG, each contributing to 19.87 per cent of the reported cases. Also present was the "Nimbus" strain or NB.1.8.1, representing 3.97 per cent of infections.
LP. 8.1.1 evolved from LP. 8.1 which itself is a descendant of Omicron, with the original LP.8.1 having surfaced in July 2024 and later categorised as a "variant under monitoring" by WHO in January.
Symptoms
Currently, it remains uncertain whether LP. 8.1.1 triggers specific symptoms distinctive from other strains. Thomas Jeffries, a senior microbiology lecturer at Western Sydney University, observed that LP.8.1 does not seem to be responsible for exceptionally severe symptoms.
Writing for The Conversation, he said: "Notably, the symptoms of LP.8.1 don't appear to be any more severe than other circulating strains. And the WHO has evaluated the additional public health risk LP.8.1 poses at a global level to be low.
"What's more, LP.8.1 remains a variant under monitoring, rather than a variant of interest or a variant of concern. In other words, these changes to the virus with LP.8.1 are small, and not likely to make a big difference to the trajectory of the pandemic."
However, according to the NHS, one definitive symptom of Covid is a new or persistent cough, which may involve three or more "coughing episodes" in 24 hours.
Other indicators on the list are:
A high temperature or shivering (chills) – a high temperature means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
Shortness of breath
Feeling tired or exhausted
An aching body
A headache
A sore throat
A blocked or runny nose
Loss of appetite
Diarrhoea
Feeling sick or being sick.
The NHS guidance for those with symptoms of Covid suggests self-isolation until recovery. For those who receive a positive Covid test result, the NHS advocates staying home and away from others for five days, although it's not legally required.
Further analysis of recent Covid statistics reveals that the weekly mean positivity rate for PCR tests in English hospitals was up slightly at 6.6 per cent for the week leading up to June 15, compared to 6.2 per cent in the prior week.
The total weekly hospital admission rate for COVID-19 saw a slight rise to 1.53 per 100,000 from the previous week's 1.44 per 100,000. However, the overall rate of COVID-19 patients in ICU or HDU remained steady at 0.04 per 100,000, mirroring the previous week's figure.
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Times
13 minutes ago
- Times
Assisted dying bill latest: debate begins, as Starmer yet to decide vote
A black van passed by the crowds in Parliament Square with an electronic screen which read messages against the bill. It was set up by organisation and flashed: 'Kill the Bill, not the ill', 'No safeguards. No oversight. No compassion' and 'Stop the NHS from becoming the National Homicide Service.' Prue Leith has joined campaigners outside Parliament showing their support for the assisted dying bill. The 85-year-old writer, restaurateur and Great British Bake Off presenter said she was 'quietly confident' about the vote's outcome after a lengthy, 'hard and uphill battle'. Leith added: 'I find it so moving to see all the photographs of people you've lost or who are dying of cancer as we speak. 'It is utterly disgraceful that in a civilised world, we should be allowing this. 'Today, I hope we are going to win. I try to be quietly confident. But whether we win or lose, you have done a fantastic job, and I hope we're not going to have to ask you to do it again.' Kim Leadbeater said the assisted dying bill she is sponsoring will 'offer a compassionate and safe choice to terminally ill people who want to make it'. Speaking at today's third reading, the Labour MP for Spen Valley told the Commons: 'I have been pleased to work with members on all sides of the debate to ensure that this legislation is something that parliament can be proud of. 'A cogent, workable bill that has one simple thread running through it — the need to correct the profound injustices of the status quo and to offer a compassionate and safe choice to terminally ill people who want to make it.' MPs have started the final debate on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The outcome will lead to it either clearing the House of Commons and moving to the Lords, or falling completely — the latter of which could mean the issue might not return to Westminster for a decade. The relatively narrow majority of 55 from the historic yes vote last November means every vote will count today. The bill would fall if 28 MPs switched directly from voting yes to no, but only if all other MPs voted the same way as in November, including those who abstained. Outside the houses of Parliament, peaceful crowds have already gathered ahead of the vote, clutching banners and chanting 'our freedom, our choice, listen to our voice.' Among those is Catriona MacFarlan, 45, holding a blue sign with the words 'freedom of choice', who had travelled down from Edinbugh in the early hours of the morning to be here for the vote. She said: 'My dad is terminally ill. He is not able to to have a dignified ending. It's going to be horrible as he carries on. But there are no protections for people like him. So I just want to give people the choice to end their lives with dignity, surrounded by their family and loved ones, and not have to suffer a really horrible ending.' Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter has admitted she struggled to sleep last night in anticipation of today's vote on assisted dying. Rebecca Wilcox, who was outside Parliament to champion the Dignity in Dying campaign, said she hoped the bill would be passed. She said: 'This is such an important time for this bill, the third and final vote, and then hopefully it will go on to the House of Lords. 'It couldn't be more entrenched with safeguards; it couldn't be a kinder, more compassionate bill that respects choice at the end of life, that respects kindness and empathy and gives us all an option when every other option has been taken away. 'It would be the perfect tool for a palliative care doctor to have in their med bag.' A ban on advertising assisted dying would be extended to all of the UK, should the bill pass, MPs have agreed. They also voted for the UK-wide extension of regulations about approved substances intended to be used to help terminally ill patients to die. Politicians have this morning approved an opt-out for medical professionals being extended to Scotland. MPs voted 275 in favour, 209 against, majority 66. MPs have agreed to an amendment that requires the government to publish an assessment of palliative and end-of-life care within one year of the Act's passage. They have nodded through amendment 21 — one of multiple proposed tweaks to the bill. MPs called 'aye' to approve Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson's amendment. It means that ministers would have to consider the state of health services for patients near the end of their lives, covering pain and symptom management, psychological support and access to information. Religious leaders are making last-minute bids to sway undecided MPs, hoping to convince them to oppose assisted dying. The Bishop of London, the Right Rev Sarah Mullally, who is also England's former chief nursing officer, said it was an 'unsafe and unworkable' bill and said: 'If enacted, this bill would arrive amidst hugely inequitable access to palliative care and an NHS on life support. The potential for abuse and uninformed or coerced decisions is enormous. 'This is not about so-called progressivism versus conservatism, or atheism versus religion. This is about the kind of society we want to live in.' She said the parliamentary process had 'presented more unanswered questions, left more doubts, and seen so-called protections crumble away before even coming into law'. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, said: 'A right to assisted suicide given to individuals is highly likely to become a duty on care homes and hospices to facilitate it. We fear that this bill will thereby seriously affect the provision of social care and palliative care across the country.' A vote must be called before 2.30pm, as per parliamentary procedure. MPs in the House of Commons have this morning been voting on changes within the bill since it was last put to them in November. The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death. This request would be subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, a senior legal figure and a psychiatrist. MPs have agreed that ministers should get powers to update the National Health Service Act 2006 as part of the bill, to include voluntary assisted dying services as part of the NHS's purposes. Amid fears the bill could become 'the Trojan horse that breaks the NHS', Dame Siobhain McDonagh, a Labour MP, pushed her amendment 12 to a vote, which would have blocked ministers from broadening the NHS's purposes without a fresh bill. But MPs rejected her proposal 269 votes to 223, majority 46. While there is no obligation on MPs to take part in the free vote, those present today in the House of Commons also have the option to formally abstain. Health Secretary Wes Streeting described bill sponsor Kim Leadbeater's work on the proposed legislation as 'extremely helpful', but confirmed in April that he still intended to vote against it. Vicky Foxcroft received hugs and other gestures of support from her Labour backbench colleagues as she appeared in the Commons a day after resigning as a government whip over welfare reform proposals she could not support. The Labour MP for Lewisham North was seen walking through the chamber as MPs took part in votes on the assisted dying bill this morning. Several colleagues approached her, offering warm words, hugs, an arm on the shoulder or a pat on the back, following her decision to resign from the government. Will Keir Starmer vote today? The prime minister is working from Number 10 and is yet to make a decision, despite the historic nature of the vote. There is a suggestion that Starmer, who is in favour of assisted dying, could enter into an informal 'pairing' arrangement with David Lammy, the foreign secretary who is opposed but currently in Geneva for negotiations with Iran. Officials insist that no decision has been made, and say he is still weighing up whether to attend. But in politics perceptions matter, and failing to take part in the vote could be viewed by some as a sign that he is cooling on the idea. A proposal to disapply the presumption that a person has capacity unless the opposite is established in cases of assisted dying requests has been rejected by MPs. The Commons voted 213 to 266, majority 53 to reject amendment 24, which was tabled by Daniel Francis, the Labour MP for Bexleyheath & Crayford. In November last year, MPs voted in favour of the assisted dying bill but some MPs have already indicated they will changes sides on Friday. This is how they voted in the last reading of the bill. MPs have this morning voted to reject an amendment which would have prevented a person who is substantially motivated by feeling they are a burden from qualifying for assisted dying. Conservative MP Rebecca Paul's new clause 16 stated that a wish to end one's own life should not be substantially motivated by factors such as a mental disorder, disability or suicidal ideation. The Commons voted 208 to 261, majority 53 against. Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, has told Times Radio that Kim Leadbeater's private member's bill to legalise assisted dying is 'dangerous' and a public safety issue'. Calling for its rejection, she said: 'The bill is ultimately flawed. Today we're not voting on the principle of this bill, we're voting on the legislation. 'That's my job and the amendments that I have tabled to close the anorexia loophole hasn't been closed, it's not been accepted, it won't be voted on and that leaves huge loopholes and it's not safe. For me it's a public safety issue, this bill.' Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has urged her MPs to vote against the legislation, describing it as 'a bad bill' despite being 'previously supportive of assisted suicide'. She claimed it has 'not been done properly'. On Thursday, Badenoch said that although she had previously supported the idea, 'this is not how we should do legislation like this'. She also said she does not believe the 'NHS and other services are ready'. Badenoch added, 'I will be voting no and I hope as many Conservative MPs as possible will be supporting me in that'. MPs are entitled to have a free vote on the bill, meaning they decide according to their conscience rather than along party lines. If it is passed today, it will then be scrutinised by the House of Lords. Sky News said that it is hard to predict at this stage how the upper chamber will react to it, given the unusual combination of a free vote on a private member's bill. However, it warned there was a 'small chance' of upper chamber delays 'to stop it by keeping it in limbo until the king's speech to parliament later this year'. Decca Aitkenhead was nine when a GP risked jail to help her mother to die. Years later she watched her best friend succumb to the slow torture of Huntington's disease, and for a few days she found herself confronting her own death. She tells Jane Mulkerrins how those experiences have shaped her views on assisted dying. Public support for the bill remains high, according to the latest YouGov poll. The proportion of people who feel assisted dying should be legal in principle has risen slightly, to 75 per cent from 73 per cent in November. Its survey of 2,003 adults in Great Britain took place last month and the findings were published yesterday. Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, has warned that defeat for the bill would end hopes of changing the law for another decade as she rejected claims of rushing through reform. She insisted her bill is 'the most robust piece of legislation in the world' and has argued dying people must be given choice at the end of their lives in a conversation which has seen support from high-profile figures including Dame Esther Rantzen. Leadbeater said it had 'gone through hours and hours and hours of scrutiny', adding: 'This is not being rushed through, this is not a quick thing that's happened overnight.' Four Labour MPs confirmed on the eve of today's vote that they will switch sides to oppose the proposed new law. Paul Foster, Jonathan Hinder, Markus Campbell-Savours and Kanishka Narayan wrote to fellow MPs to voice concerns about the safety of the proposed legislation. They branded it as being 'drastically weakened', citing the scrapping of the High Court Judge safeguard as a key reason. However, Bill sponsor Kim Leadbeater has insisted that replacing the judge's approval with multidisciplinary panels strengthens the legislation, as it will incorporate wider expert knowledge to assess assisted dying applications. Protesters and campaigners have been gathering this morning in Westminster before the vote on the assisted dying bill. Photos from the scene show supporters from campaign group Dignity in Dying holding pink placards with white letters urging 'legalise assisted dying, vote yes today.' Opponents of the bill are wearing white masks with the word 'euthanise' on the forehead, and they are holding white signs saying 'don't make doctors killers' and 'protect our NHS from becoming a national suicide service'. In 1937, Switzerland legalised assisted suicide provided those doing the assisting were not motivated by 'any selfish intent'. Six decades later, the US state of Oregon legalised physician-assisted suicide for people with less than six months to live. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to decriminalise assisted dying. As MPs vote on the bill today, this is how other countries in the world compare. Read in full: Where is assisted dying legal? How the rules worldwide compare More than 7,500 terminally ill people a year could seek state support to end their life within a decade of the practice being legalised, the government estimates. Officials believe about 60 per cent of requests for assisted dying would be approved, equating to approximately 4,500 or 0.68 per cent of all deaths from 2039 onwards. The findings came in an impact assessment drawn up by the Department for Health and Social Care. Officials also estimated that legalising the practice in the UK could cost the NHS tens of millions of pounds. Staff time costs ranged from £412,000 to £1.98 million in year one, to between £2.6 million and £11.5 million in year ten. MPs will today take part in the final Commons vote on whether to back a bill to help terminally ill adults end their lives in England and Wales. Politicians supported legalising assisted dying when they first debated the issue in November by 330 votes to 275. However, since then the outcome has become too close to call, after analysis by The Times showed that margin eroding. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has undergone months of scrutiny leading to some changes in the proposed legislation. One change is to replace the role of a High Court judge in signing off an application for an assisted death with a panel of experts. This panel would contain a senior lawyer, a psychiatrist, and a social worker. Advocates of assisted dying believe their bill will pass its final Commons vote on Friday, despite a shift among MPs against it. Kim Leadbeater, the MP who proposed the law change, denied the bill has been rushed and remained confident MPs would vote in favour of it. Read in full: Assisted dying vote 'too close to call' as MPs turn against bill Sir Keir Starmer has yet to decide whether he will take part in today's landmark vote on assisted dying as he deals with the Middle East crisis. The prime minister, who is in favour of assisted dying, is working from Downing Street today but could end up missing the vote depending on his commitments as he seeks to deescalate the conflict between Iran and Israel. A government source said no decision as been made He backed assisted dying in 2015 and has signalled that his view has not changed. The issue is deeply divisive and has split the Labour Party. Starmer said this week: 'It is a matter for individual parliamentarians, which is why I've not waded in with a view on this publicly, and I'm not going to now it's coming to a conclusion. 'There has been a lot of time discussing it, both in Parliament and beyond Parliament, and quite right too. It's a really serious issue. 'My own position is long-standing and well-known in relation to it, based on my experience when I was chief prosecutor for five years, where I oversaw every case that was investigated.'
BBC News
16 minutes ago
- BBC News
Kimberley Nixon feels 'lighter' after ADHD and autism diagnosis
A Welsh actress says a "huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders" after being diagnosed with autism and ADHD. Kimberley Nixon, star of Channel 4's Fresh Meat, developed perinatal obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), after giving birth to her son during the 2020 said her worries about her baby's well-being escalated into intense anxiety, with symptoms lasting around two and a half years. As she began to recover, other lifelong patterns started to make sense, prompting her to seek a diagnosis. Following a series of in-depth assessments and standard diagnostic tests, she was formally diagnosed with autism and ADHD on an interview with BBC Radio Wales, Nixon told presenter Behnaz Akhgar: "We all know what the NHS is like when it comes to waiting lists, so it's taken a while. "The assessments are incredibly thorough - they dig into every little nook and cranny of your life and your past."The actress, from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, known for her roles in Wild Child and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, said she now feels "lighter" and is "kinder" to herself, which she described as "really lovely."Reflecting on the diagnosis, she said: "It's that square peg in a round hole feeling. "I've realised it's not that my brain is wrong - it's just different. "I don't process or interpret things the same way others do. "That always felt like a problem. "But now, it just feels like a difference." Nixon also spoke about her experience of being diagnosed with perinatal OCD, which is when you experience OCD during pregnancy or in the first year after giving is a mental health condition characterised by intrusive thoughts and compulsive years of IVF, she gave birth to her son during the 2020 pandemic, which she described as the "big catalyst" for her struggles."I went through a really tough time postpartum," she said. "Eventually, I was diagnosed with perinatal OCD - which I didn't even know was a thing. "Once you start looking into it, you realise it's actually quite common."Nixon said the condition did not present in the typical ways people associate with OCD. "I'm not a neat freak, I don't tick the usual boxes - but with perinatal OCD, I absolutely did," she said. "It involved really distressing intrusive thoughts, repetitive thinking, and punishing compulsions - just to relieve the anxiety."Last year, she told BBC Radio Wales' Books That Made Me with Lucy Owen: "I was just convinced that I wasn't doing things right. "I wasn't feeding him right. What temperature is he supposed to be?"Every time he cried I was just sort of shaking - I just got really hyper vigilant and terrified."Since learning more about the condition, Nixon has made it a priority to speak openly about it, saying it's "not as widely recognised as postnatal depression". In Thursday's interview, Nixon also spoke about her latest role in the ITV series Shardlake. She plays the character Joan in the four-part drama, which is based on CJ Sansom's historical mystery first season adapts the book Dissolution. The story follows lawyer Matthew Shardlake as he investigates a murder at a remote monastery during the reign of Henry a graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, said the series was filmed in Budapest and it felt like "a little Hungarian Welsh college reunion", as fellow cast members Arthur Hughes and Anthony Boyle also trained at the same institution.
Daily Mirror
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
New 'get vaccinated' plea as fewer people have cancer-preventing jab
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned that variations in geographical coverage of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in adolescents across England is leaving young women in some areas with less protection against cervical and some other cancers As Cervical Cancer Screening Awareness week kicks off, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a warning that disparities in the geographical coverage of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among adolescents across England are leaving young women in certain areas with less protection against cervical and some other cancers. Despite the potential to eradicate cervical cancer, the most recent UKHSA HPV coverage data for adolescents in 2023-24 reveals inequalities in vaccination uptake across different regions and areas of the country: Studies have demonstrated that receiving the HPV vaccine before the age of 16 results in significantly stronger immune responses and greater protection against HPV-related cancers. While early vaccination is ideal, receiving an HPV vaccination later as part of the catch-up programme still offers robust protection against HPV-related cancers. For those who missed their school HPV vaccinations in year 8 and 9, catch-up options remain available and are highly effective. Anyone who missed their HPV vaccination, now just a single jab, can still receive it for free until their 25th birthday through their GP surgery; this also applies to boys born after September 1, 2006. HPV vaccinations are now also extended to boys in UK schools during years 8 and 9, aimed at safeguarding them from HPV infection and its associated health issues such as genital warts, head and neck cancers (which include mouth and throat), along with genital cancers. Moreover, by getting vaccinated, boys can play a pivotal part in the eradication of cervical cancer by preventing the spread of HPV when they become sexually active. Dr Sharif Ismail, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, emphasised the importance of the vaccine: "The HPV vaccine, now just a single dose offered in schools, is one of the most powerful tools we have for cancer prevention. Every vaccination represents a young person with better protection against the devastating impact of HPV-related cancers and we must do more to ensure that no teenage girl or boy, young woman or man is denied that protection no matter where they live." He also raised concerns about current vaccination rates: "Although we have seen some increase in the number of young people being vaccinated, uptake is still well below pre-Covid pandemic levels. Over a quarter of young people, many thousands, are missing out on this potentially life-saving vaccine, which protects not only against cervical cancer, but all young adults, men and women, against genital warts and some genital cancers, as well as mouth and throat cancers. "We're calling on all parents to return their children's HPV vaccination consent forms promptly. This simple action could protect your child from developing cancer in the future. For young adults up to age 25, who missed their school vaccinations, please speak to your GP about catch-up options – it's never too late to get protected. "And it's important to stress that even if you've had the HPV vaccine, it's vital you still attend your cervical screening appointments when invited. Both vaccination and screening together give you your best chance of protection against cervical cancer." While the HPV vaccine provides excellent protection, attending cervical screening appointments remains crucial, regardless of vaccination status. Screening can detect abnormal cells before they develop into cancer, allowing for early treatment and prevention. 'Uptake is unequal' Cancer Research UK's chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said: "Thanks to the power of research and the efforts of NHS staff, a future where almost nobody gets cervical cancer is in sight. This progress hinges on people's access to two lifesaving offers - HPV vaccination and screening. Together, they give the best protection against the disease. "Latest data reveals an unequal uptake of the HPV vaccine across England, highlighting the need for local authorities and health services to work together and improve access to these lifesaving opportunities. Beating cervical cancer means beating it for everyone, so I encourage all parents and guardians to ensure young people don't miss out on getting the HPV vaccine. And if you receive your cervical screening invite, don't ignore it." Dr Amanda Doyle OBE, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said: "The NHS HPV vaccination programme has already helped save thousands of lives and we need to go further to boost uptake of HPV vaccines and cervical screening to help eliminate cervical cancer in England by 2040. "If we can ensure that almost every Year 10 girl in some areas is protected and extremely unlikely to ever develop cervical cancer, we need to match this in every part of the country. It's vital for boys and young men to be vaccinated too – rates in boys still lag behind girls and HPV causes thousands of cancers in men as well as things like genital warts. "I would urge all parents to give their consent for their child to be vaccinated and it's important to remember that those that remain unvaccinated and have left school can still get vital protection by contacting their GP practice to catch up before their 25th birthday. With vaccination being just one dose, it is easier than ever to ensure young people get protection."
