Irish Covid cases rise as 'American Covid' strain becomes dominant

Covid-19 cases in Ireland are rising as the XFG strain, also called Stratus, becomes the dominant variant. This strain, nicknamed "American Covid" due to its rapid spread in the United States, now accounts for 55 per cent of all tested cases in Ireland.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre recorded 479 cases in the most recent week. This is an increase from 319 cases the previous week and 277 cases the week before that. During the final week of September, there were 187 hospitalisations and one death recorded. Because routine testing is no longer carried out, these figures represent only a portion of total infections.

Pharmacist Daniel Cheung said a distinguishing symptom of the Stratus variant is a hoarse or scratchy voice. Other symptoms include a dry cough, sore throat, fever, fatigue, muscle aches, and a loss of taste or smell.

Dr Renée Hoenderkamp said patients in general practice are presenting with sore throats, headaches, runny noses, and fatigue. She described the illness as being very flu-like. One patient reported experiencing extreme exhaustion and painful aches in the legs and joints.

In England, the hospital admission rate for Covid-19 has increased by almost 50 per cent. The UK Health Security Agency reported that the rate of positive Covid-19 tests in hospitals rose from 5.9 per cent to 7.0 per cent in September. Hospital admission rates were highest in the London region, where they increased by 79 per cent. The World Health Organisation identified the XFG variant as a mix of the LF.7 and LP.8.1.2 variants.

Health experts advise those eligible for the autumn vaccination to get the jab, including people aged 75, residents in care homes, and immunosuppressed individuals. Alex Allen, a consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said that while Covid-19 activity has shown recent increases, cases remain at low levels in the UK.