Latest news with #XDV
Daily Mirror
09-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
All we know about Covid variant LP.8.1.1 spreading across England
Around 30 per cent of Covid cases in May were linked to the LP.8.1.1 variant Almost a third of Covid cases in England are linked to a specific variant, with people aged 80 and over most affected. The most recent data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), shows that around 30 per cent of coronavirus cases are caused by the LP.8.1.1 strain. Figures from between April 28 and May 11 revealed that 29.91 per cent of COVID-19 cases were classified as LP.8.1.1. This variant is a sublineage of LP.8.1, which is descended from Omicron. LP.8.1 was first detected in July 2024. It was designated as a 'variant under monitoring' by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in January. In the most recent report, LP.8.1 was also identified in England, accounting for 16.82 per cent of cases. Other variants linked to recent cases of Covid as documented by the UKHSA include JN.1 (14 per cent), XFG (12.5 per cent), XEC (11 per cent), MC.21.1 (5.6 per cent), KP.3.1.1 (2.8 per cent), and XDV (2.8 per cent). The UKHSA added that the highly transmissible NB.1.8.1 was detected in England at the same time, but has a 'low prevalence'. It said: 'There are currently 13 sequences of NB.1.8.1 in England, currently represented by its parent lineage XDV in Figure 4 due to low prevalence.' The update showed that between May 26 and June 1, referred to as week 22, cases of Covid slightly increased in England. People aged 80 and over were most affected by this rise. 'In week 22, 3,833 respiratory specimens reported through the Respiratory DataMart System were tested for SARS-CoV-2,' the UKHSA said. 'There were 219 positive samples for SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 positivity increased slightly to 5.7 per cent compared with five per cent in the previous week, with the highest positivity in those aged 80 years and over at 7.4 per cent.' Hospital admissions due to Covid also rose that week. The overall weekly hospital admission rate for COVID-19 slightly increased to 1.49 (compared with 1.40 per 100,000 in the previous week). Hospital admission rates for COVID-19 were highest in the London region (increasing to 2.98 per 100,000 compared with 1.91 in the previous week). The highest hospital admission rate for COVID-19 was in those aged 85 years and over (slightly decreasing to 11.46 per 100,000 compared with 12.07 in the previous week). But the overall intensive care unit or high dependency unit rate for COVID-19 remained low at 0.04 per 100,000 (compared with 0.02 per 100,000 in the previous week). Symptoms It is not known if LP.8.1.1 causes any particular symptoms. Thomas Jeffries, a senior lecturer in microbiology at Western Sydney University, noted that its parent LP.8.1 has not seemed to lead to particularly 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.' The NHS lists Covid symptoms as: 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 new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours 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. If you experience symptoms, the NHS advises staying home until you feel better. If you test positive for Covid, the NHS recommends staying home and avoiding contact with others for five days.
RTHK
29-05-2025
- Health
- RTHK
Covid to drop to lower level in a month or two: CHP
Covid to drop to lower level in a month or two: CHP Health authorities say various indicators, including the number of Covid patients seeking help, have shown that coronavirus activity has dropped. File photo: AFP Health authorities on Thursday said Covid activity in Hong Kong appears to be declining from its peak, but that it would take "a month or two" before reaching a lower level. The Centre for Health Protection said the percentage of respiratory samples testing positive for the coronavirus and the viral load in sewage samples have gone down in the week ending on May 24, compared to the period between May 11 and 17. The number of patients seeking medical help for Covid also dropped, the centre said in a statement. But the centre's controller, Edwin Tsui, noted that coronavirus activity would remain "relatively high" in the meantime. "Hong Kong has experienced an upsurge in Covid-19 cases since April this year, more than half a year after the last increase in July and August of last year. The current active period is expected," he said. "Although the activity of Covid-19 has started to decline, with reference to previous data, we expect that it will remain at a relatively high level in the short term, and will take a month or two to gradually decline to a lower level." Tsui noted XDV and variants descended from it, including NB.1.8.1, have become the most prevalent strains in the SAR, according to genetic analysis. NB1.8.1 has been assigned as one of the "variants under monitoring" by the World Health Organization, but the body suggested that the risk it posed was low. To that, Tsui said Covid vaccines currently used in Hong Kong "can effectively prevent infection and severe disease", while urging high-risk individuals to "not take this lightly" and get inoculated with a booster shot.
HKFP
29-05-2025
- Health
- HKFP
1-year-old in critical condition after Covid-19 infection
A one-year-old girl infected with Covid-19 is in critical condition, Hong Kong's health authorities have said, amid an increase in infections that began in mid-March. The infant had a fever and runny nose since Tuesday, and was brought to the accident and emergency room at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital after experiencing convulsions, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP). She was diagnosed with Covid-19 complicated with encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain tissue. She is in critical condition and remains hospitalised in the paediatric intensive care unit. A preliminary investigation found that she had not been vaccinated for Covid-19 and had no travel history during the incubation period. Three people in her household experienced symptoms, of which two tested positive for Covid but had recovered. The CHP logged two separate cases of severe paediatric Covid-19 infections earlier this month, including a 17-month-old girl diagnosed with Covid-19, adenovirus and rhinovirus, complicated with croup, a respiratory infection. A 13-year-old girl was also diagnosed with Covid-19 complicated with pneumonia. The CHP said on Wednesday that Covid-19 has become an endemic disease with cyclical patterns. Overall Covid activity has continued to rise since mid-March, though the rate of increase in sewage and respiratory samples had slowed down in the week ending May 17 compared to the previous week. 'Relatively high level' According to a CHP report, the centre logged 977 positive nucleic acid test detections for Covid-19 between May 11 and 17, compared with the 1,042 in the previous week. Also in that week, 1,214 respiratory specimens tested positive for Covid-19, compared to the previous week's 1,205. 'Although the rate of increase in the COVID-19 activity level in Hong Kong has begun to slow down, the CHP expected the COVID-19 activity level to remain at a relatively high level in a short period of time,' the centre said in a Wednesday statement. It also reminded high-risk individuals, such as those who have underlying medical conditions or are immunocompromised, to get jabbed for Covid or receive booster shots. They should also take additional measures to protect themselves such as masking when in public. Covid vaccines in Hong Kong are still effective in preventing the dominant XDV strain, the centre said. The CHP's announcement came after the head of the paediatric infectious diseases unit at Princess Margaret Hospital, Mike Kwan, made similar calls earlier this month as he said the hospital's paediatric ward was 'full' of young unvaccinated Covid cases.
Hans India
26-05-2025
- Health
- Hans India
From epidemic to endemic, Covid era has ended, says health expert
Hyderabad: Has the COVID-19 era ended? A health expert from the city and Indian Medical Association (IMA) Scientific Committee Convener Dr Kiran Madhala on Sunday said that with the JN.1 variant, this is the end of COVID-19 era from Alpha to JN.1 from a period of 2019 to 2025. According to Dr Kiran Madhala, COVID-19 has effectively transitioned into an endemic phase, as clearly reflected in the evolving pattern of SARS-CoV-2 variants across different countries. Up until the emergence of JN.1, there was a relatively uniform global pattern in variant circulation. However, post-JN.1, this trend has shifted, with each country now demonstrating distinct evolutionary trajectories. Dr Kiran said that India has shown progression toward the XEG lineage, emerging via JF.7. Singapore, on the other hand, has evolved towards NB.1.8.1, a descendant of XDV. Notably, although India reported its first NB.1.8.1 case in April 2025, the variant has not gained significant prevalence within the country. This divergence marks a clear departure from the previously observed global uniformity, indicating that COVID-19 variant evolution has become geographically localised, a hallmark of an endemic infection, said Dr Kiran Madhala. Dr Kiran said that the XFG variant, derived from LF.7 and LP.8.1.2, harbours four key spike protein mutations including H445R, N487D, Q493E, and T572I. It has demonstrated a rapid global dissemination since its initial detection in Canada. LF.7.9 and XFG exhibit significantly reduced RBD-ACE2 binding affinity, primarily due to the A475V (in LF.7.9) and N487D (in XFG) mutations. These mutations contribute to lower receptor engagement efficiency. The XFG variant shows high immune evasion potential, raising concerns about vaccine and antibody efficacy. XFG and LF.7 have evolved from the Omicron lineage, following the trajectory- Omicron BA.2 → BA.2.86 → JN.1 → JN.1.16.1 → LF.7 → XFG. LF7 and XFG are likely to be designated as variants under monitoring with low grade infection, said Dr Kiran.
