As the new Covid FLiRT variant sweeps across the UK, Brits are being urged to distinguish between typical summer hay fever symptoms and those of the contagious strain.
This summer is seeing an unusual surge in stuffy noses and heavy coughs as high pollen levels clash with the rise in Covid variants, putting the nation’s respiratory health at risk.
The FLiRT variant of Covid is thought to be behind a 24% increase in hospital admissions related to the virus last month and currently represents about 40% of all Covid cases in the UK. This alarming figure rises to 69% of cases in the US, according to The Telegraph.
Meanwhile, the number of people suffering from hay fever in the UK continues to grow each year. The NHS estimates that around 20% of UK residents will experience reactions this summer, following a mid-June report which saw a 147% increase in hayfever sufferers seeking NHS advice.
Those who have previously suffered from hay fever are also reporting more severe symptoms this year. This is making it harder to differentiate between the strikingly similar symptoms of Covid.
Hay fever symptoms typically focus on the face, including red, itchy or watery eyes, headaches, earaches, loss of smell, as well as sneezing, coughing or experiencing a runny or blocked nose.
On the surface, FLiRT variants may seem akin to other conditions with symptoms such as fevers, persistent coughs, sore throats, nausea, and diarrhoea, while also mirroring hay fever with changes or loss of smell and taste.
The key distinction between hay fever and FLiRT is that the latter is contagious. Rebecca Owen, a sports and exercise lecturer at the University of Derby, suggested to The Telegraph a possible connection: “A lot of people have had Covid-19, and infections can make us more susceptible to allergies. They can activate the immune response in what’s called mast cell activation syndrome, so while more studies are needed, it could be that some of those who have been infected with Covid may then develop hay fever.”
Owen pointed out that testing remains the definitive method to differentiate hayfever from FLiRT.
Without mandates, individuals with FLiRT are still advised to self-isolate if feeling extremely unwell and to steer clear of vulnerable groups, including the elderly.
FLiRT encompasses three omicron strains, each with unique mutations, which has led to the extension of the illness into the summer, defying expectations of its autumn and winter confinement.
Although the new variants don’t seem to be more severe, reports suggest they are more infectious, with carriers potentially spreading the virus days before symptoms appear.
