'I caught the new American Covid XFG - new symptom left me calling my mum for help'

'I caught the new American Covid XFG - new symptom left me calling my mum for help' EXCLUSIVE: As Coronavirus cases soar across the UK, two women explain what it's really like to catch the new XFG strain, otherwise known as American Covid or Stratus A new Covid strain is sweeping across the country with cases doubling and hospital admissions up five-fold this month. But it's also cold and flu season, leaving Brits at risk of an array of different illnesses just before Christmas. Latest figures from the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) show that positive Covid cases recorded in hospital settings had climbed from 5.9 per cent to 7 per cent in just a matter of weeks. Two women unfortunate enough to have caught the latest XFG strain - also known as American Covid - have now revealed how it compares to previous mutations and the surprising warning signs to look out for... 'The worst came after my negative test' For Georgia Bondy, 32, from Walthamstow, the most alarming part was how unwell she felt after she had started testing negative. The woman, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), first noticed a scratchy throat on September 6 before testing positive for Covid the following day. During the week she was testing positive, she experienced shortness of breath but said she was not particularly tired and was still able to work. However, after she began testing negative, her condition strangely deteriorated. "I was exhausted," she tells The Mirror. "I couldn't stand up for long, it felt like I couldn't breathe properly." She also described struggling to move around normally and said it took a while for her to recover. For Georgia, who first caught Covid in 2021, the experience was particularly difficult because the worst of her symptoms appeared to come after the initial infection. "It was strange how it felt horrible after I tested negative and the Covid left me feeling tired," she explains. She says that her disability affects her body's ability to regulate its temperature, meaning she cannot rely on a fever as a warning sign when she becomes ill. Georgia lives with her partner and isolated during the infection. She also believes that much like the NHS data shows, the number of people becoming ill has increased since the beginning of September. "I know who I got it from, they showed up to a meeting and were coughing their guts up," she says. The experience has left her concerned about how easily illnesses can spread when people continue attending work and social events while symptomatic. "People should stay home," she argues. "We need to get better at saying if you're feeling unwell, it's great if you still want to work, but stay home so other people are safe." Georgia runs an organisation supporting disabled people and says the impact of Covid has not disappeared for those living with underlying health conditions. Although she works from home, she regularly attends in-person meetings and said other people may not realise she is vulnerable. "I don't look disabled, I look fairly young, so when you're on the train, no one looks at me and thinks that person might be at risk, or in a meeting people always see me as healthy," she says. Through her work with Disability Rights UK, Georgia repeatedly hears from disabled people who remain concerned about Covid and the consequences of infection. "For them, the pandemic is not done, it's not done, we're still dying from Covid, we're still getting long Covid on top of our pre-existing health conditions," she warns. She acknowledged that death rates are lower than during 2020 but warned against overlooking the impact of long Covid, which can leave people with debilitating symptoms long after their initial infection. 'The rash suddenly spread' Another 34-year-old woman who previously caught Covid in 2020 tells us that her latest infection brought back familiar symptoms of a cough, sore throat and crushing fatigue. But there was one unexpected difference - a furious, itchy rash that appeared across her body. "It really knocked me for six this time," the unnamed sufferer says. "I had a heavy head, [like] it was filled with concrete." The woman, from Burgess Hill, said her symptoms seemed to improve before suddenly returning, leaving her feeling as though she was experiencing the illness in waves. Her symptoms initially began with cold-like signs, alongside a small rash on her neck that appeared on a Friday before disappearing after a couple of hours. But by Sunday morning, the rash had spread to her face, leg and neck, leaving her skin looking angry and feeling intensely itchy. "I didn't go to the GP, but I had a mad rash all over my body," she explains. Worried she might have measles, she contacted her mum, who works in a hospital and suggested the rash could be connected to Covid. The woman subsequently took a Covid test, which came back positive. She tried taking an antihistamine, but said it did little to ease the rash, which continued to disappear and flare up again over the following days. The woman says that the most difficult part of her latest Covid infection was also the exhaustion and the way her symptoms repeatedly returned. "I found it would come in waves, I'd start to feel better, then bam it would hit you again," she explains. She also experienced a sore throat, cough and fluctuations in temperature, describing periods when she felt cold enough to need to get under a blanket. Despite the discomfort, she did not lose her sense of taste or smell, just as she had not during her first infection. Her husband subsequently caught Covid, experiencing fatigue, a cough and sore throat, although he did not develop the same rash. The woman said she spent much of her illness resting at home, even though she felt she could technically have gone out. "It's like feeling like you're in lockdown again," she says. "I know you can go out, but I felt a sense of responsibility to stay inside." More than a week after her infection began, her cough had improved considerably, although she was still experiencing what she described as a "wooly head". She also noticed that Covid tests appeared to be in short supply when she went to collect some, and her mum had encountered the same problem when trying to buy one. How can I tell if I have Covid or the flu? Wendy Lee, deputy superintendent pharmacist at Well Pharmacy, says that Covid remains a respiratory infection, with symptoms that can overlap with those of colds and flu. "Similar to these other infections, Covid spreads from person-to-person through breathing, sneezing and coughing," she explains. "The symptoms of any respiratory infection are similar with a high temperature, tiredness, a new continuous cough and a loss of taste or smell among the most common reported symptoms." Wendy highlighted a hoarse throat as a possible early sign of the XFG Covid variant, which has also been referred to as Stratus. "It is the symptom that many patients have reported as an early sign." However, the XFG variant is not entirely new. The UKHSA said on October 8 that it had been circulating in the UK and other countries for around a year. The rash experienced by the woman from Burgess Hill is also something that requires caution when interpreting symptoms. Wendy said a rash is not commonly recognised as a symptom of Covid or flu, although skin changes can sometimes occur when the immune system is activated. "It is important to speak to a medical professional especially if the rash does not fade when a glass is pressed against it or the rash or the patient is suffering from a high fever that does not respond to medication, stiff neck or confusion," she says. Away from the new Covid strain, the term "super flu" has been flying around online amid concerns about flu circulating earlier than usual, but the symptoms described by pharmacists are consistent with typical influenza. Lee says people should look out for headaches, chills, a high fever, persistent dry cough, sore throat and a runny nose. Loss of appetite, sickness and diarrhoea can also occur. She said Well Pharmacy is seeing increasing numbers of people seeking flu remedies and pain relief, alongside more requests for Covid tests. "People may think Covid is long gone so may not be using hand sanitiser as often as they should," she says. "Self-isolating while unwell also seems to be a thing of the past." She added that colder, wetter weather and people spending more time indoors create favourable conditions for respiratory viruses to spread. While many otherwise healthy adults will recover from Covid or flu at home, both illnesses can have more serious consequences for vulnerable people. Wendy says: "For most healthy adults, a bout of covid or flu will mean a miserable few days at home in bed, but frail and vulnerable patients – particularly the immunosuppressed – should be especially concerned, because the virus could be fatal." She urged people who are eligible for vaccination to take up the offer when contacted. "The vaccine is designed primarily to reduce the risk of becoming seriously unwell with COVID-19, rather than guaranteeing that you won’t catch the virus." In England, the free NHS flu vaccine is available to eligible groups, including people aged 65 and over, pregnant women, people with certain long-term health conditions, care home residents and some carers and household contacts of people with weakened immune systems. People should check the current NHS eligibility criteria for both flu and Covid vaccinations, as the eligible groups and arrangements differ between programmes. Wendy also advised people to maintain good personal hygiene and stay at home when unwell to reduce the risk of spreading infection. "If you do become unwell, it is best to stay at home to prevent spreading the virus to others - especially those less able to fend off these nasty bugs," she says. For people who develop symptoms, a pharmacist can offer advice on managing them, suitable treatments and whether further medical assessment is needed.