XEC COVID variant: How dangerous is it?

Published

9 hours ago

October 16, 2024

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The new COVID variant XEC has been found by UK health experts as they prepare for winter, when cases tend to increase.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has highlighted a slight increase in hospitalisations amid COVID patients recently, with the admission rate at 4.5 per 100,000 people in the week to 6 October, up from 3.7 a week prior.

It is the fourth weekly rise in a row – and this, mixed with the UKHSA finding some XEC cases – has led to plenty of news coverage about the new variant.

It comes as a number of analysts on social media have tipped XEC to become the dominant strain and fuel a winter wave – but is it more of a threat than others?

The reality is that while the UKHSA is urging people to protect themselves from COVID generally, it has not “sounded the alarm” on XEC.

It has acknowledged that people may be concerned about new variants, adding around one in 10 of new cases it has analysed shows XEC lineage.

“Current information doesn’t suggest we should be more concerned about this variant but we are monitoring this closely,” says Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA.

What we know about XEC

XEC, like many other variants, is a part of the Omicron family.

It was first found in May, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which says it is a so-called recombinant of two other strains – KS.1.1 and KP.3.3 – meaning that genetic information was exchanged between them to form a third strain, XEC.

In its last COVID update on 9 October, the WHO said XEC was one of only two variants that was showing “increasing prevalence globally” between 19 August and 15 September – but it was still only responsible for a small percentage of cases, with KP.3.3 responsible for almost half of the cases worldwide.

In the UK, XEC was identified in 9.35% of COVID cases in samples taken by the UKHSA between 2 September 2024 and 15 September 2024, while 59.35% were identified as KP.3.3.

What is a variant?

When a virus enters a human cell and replicates itself, it has the potential to produce a mutation that leads to a new variant.

Variants that mutate with an advantage over other variants have the potential to be more dangerous to humans.

During the pandemic, thousands of COVID variants were identified – a large number of them by scientists in the UK.

The vast majority did not prove significant, and some just disappeared.

But, as people continue to be infected, experts say it is likely that the virus will have more opportunity to produce variants that will be able to fight back against our immune responses.

During the pandemic, scientists were concerned that as people develop immunity to one variant, the greater the likelihood that a mutation would occur that sidesteps our defences, and ends up as a more dangerous form of the virus.

What are the symptoms of XEC?

No health organisations have listed any symptoms specific to XEC.

It is said to have the same symptoms as other COVID variants, including:

• a high temperature
• a new, continuous cough
• 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.

Health authorities advise staying at home and avoiding contact with other people if you or your child have symptoms.

How can you protect yourself?

While the UKHSA isn’t sounding the alarm on XEC specifically, it is expecting COVID to circulate more in the winter, along with flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), calling them the “three main winter threats”.

If you are eligible to get vaccinated against them, now is the time to do so, says Dr Bernal.

All adults aged 65 and over are able to receive both the latest COVID booster vaccination and this year’s flu jab, along with residents in older adult care homes and people with underlying health conditions aged six months to 64 years.

Both vaccinations are also being offered to frontline health and social care staff, with employees in older adult care homes eligible for the COVID jab.

The NHS is also offering for the first time a vaccination against RSV, a common cause of coughs and colds, which can be dangerous to older people and young children.

The jab is available to people aged 75 to 79 as well as pregnant women from 28 weeks, to protect their child.

UK

Two children among five dead in M6 crash

Published

28 mins ago

October 16, 2024

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Two children among five dead in M6 crash

Five people, including two children, have been killed in a crash on the M6.

The two-car collision involved a Toyota and a Skoda and happened on the northbound motorway, past Tebay services in Cumbria, at 4.04pm on Tuesday, police said.

Four people – a man, a woman and two children from Glasgow – who were travelling in the Toyota were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Skoda driver, a man from Cambridgeshire, also died in the crash.

Cumbria Constabulary said a third child in the Toyota was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle with serious injuries.

A stretch of the M6 northbound between J36 and J39 was closed following the crash but reopened fully in the early hours of Wednesday.

A force spokesperson said: “The families of those involved are being supported by specially trained officers.”

UK

End-of-life care must be fixed before any assisted dying legislation, charities say

Published

9 hours ago

October 16, 2024

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End-of-life care must be fixed before any assisted dying legislation, charities say

Three and a half years ago, Tim Daly was given just a few months to live. Born with learning disabilities, he later developed cancer, which kept returning.

Despite being very sick, Tim can still live at home with his mum Valerie, because of support from his palliative care nurse Phoebe Mooney.

“It’s really sad to see him deteriorate,” Phoebe says during a visit to Tim.

“When I first started seeing him he was independently mobile in his wheelchair. He would take lots of videos. He’d be super, super chatty.”

It is clear Tim and Phoebe share a special bond, but working in such an emotionally demanding role can be challenging.

“I’m not going to lie, I do cry quite a lot at work,” Phoebe says. “Particularly when things don’t go so well, which they don’t at times.”

Tim’s mother Valerie Daly is 82 and says she wouldn’t be able to keep Tim at home without the support she gets from St Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham, southeast London, where Phoebe works.

“I couldn’t do this without them,” she says. “It’s just knowing that there’s somebody there. Somebody who cares. Somebody who knows Tim.”

The support Valerie and Tim get is far from guaranteed across the UK.

As MPs consider legalising assisted dying, with a bill being introduced to parliament today, the quality of the country’s end-of-life care is being questioned.

“It’s really important we’re talking about funding for hospices at the same time,” says Jan Noble, the director of quality and innovation at St Christopher’s.

“Because people need to know that they’re going to get the right symptom control and support if they are approaching the end of life. And actually it’s not all about assisted dying.

“People are fearful because at the moment hospices throughout the country haven’t got the adequate funding, which means care can be a postcode lottery.”

St Christopher’s Hospice neither supports nor opposes a change in the law, but the hospice sector is a strong voice in the debate.

Hospices rely on charity to survive, with the government providing only around a third of their funding.

The sector has concerns about whether the health system could cope with the additional pressure that assisted dying would bring.

“While it’s not for us to take a view either way, what we would say is that this is a very fundamental change to consider introducing into a system which is already under really significant stress,” says Charlie King, deputy director of external affairs at Hospice UK.

“We’ve got hospices who are cutting back their services already, making frontline staff redundant, because they’re no longer able to fund those services.

“Whether or not assisted dying is introduced by this government, we must fix the end-of-life care system in the UK,” he said.

“This government has inherited huge challenges in the hospice sector, as well as a £22bn black hole in the public finances, so these problems will take time to fix,” a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said.

“Whilst the majority of palliative and end-of-life care is provided by the NHS, we recognise the vital role voluntary organisations including hospices play in providing support to people at end of life and their families.

“We are determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift.”

Lynda Browne, 59, has experienced the best and worst of end-of-life care.

Her mother died peacefully and comfortably at a Marie Curie Hospice, but her aunt Mary chose to die at home and Lynda was devastated by the lack of care she received.

“We had to buy her incontinence pads, we had to buy different creams because the deliveries weren’t regular or there was nothing available or you couldn’t get through,” she says.

“We had to chase everyone for everything and it’s just so tiring all the time having to fight.”

It’s a problem palliative care doctors say needs to be urgently addressed.

“We only get partial funding from the NHS,” says Dr Sarah Wells, medical director for the Marie Curie Hospice West Midlands.

“We’re having to rely on fun runs and bake sales and our charity shops to raise money to provide great end-of-life care for people.”

Marie Curie, like St Christopher’s and Hospice UK, has a neutral position on assisted dying.

“We need to be talking about death, dying and bereavement,” says Dr Wells. “What we’re not neutral on is the need for sustainable funding.”

UK

Sexual misconduct a ‘problem right across NHS’ as whistleblowing site is launched

Published

9 hours ago

October 16, 2024

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Sexual misconduct a 'problem right across NHS' as whistleblowing site is launched

NHS staff working in England will be able to anonymously report their colleagues for sexual harassment from today, as health bosses warned inappropriate behaviour “will not be tolerated”.

The health service also plans to bring in more pastoral support, and even special leave, for people who have suffered sexual misconduct at work.

It comes after a Sky News investigation heard harassment and assault is “rife” in the ambulance service.

Many dozens of paramedics have now spoken up about a culture in which being groped or being the victim of inappropriate comments and jokes is commonplace.

Some women even claimed to have been threatened with rape, or pressured into sexual acts to keep their jobs, while one female paramedic tried to take her own life after being locked in the back of an ambulance and sexually assaulted by a colleague.

Whistleblowers also claimed when they raised concerns they were punished or ostracised.

But NHS England has warned that sexual misconduct is “a problem right across the health service”, and other workforces have come under scrutiny.

In a survey last September almost a third of female surgeons who responded said they had been sexually assaulted by a colleague, and two thirds claimed to have been the target of sexual harassment.

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard called this behaviour “unacceptable” and said that from today an online reporting tool will allow staff to report abuse anonymously. The reports will then be assessed by HR teams and investigated.

The NHS also plans to bring in pastoral support for people who have experienced sexual abuse, with special leave available if needed. Staff are also being urged to complete new training on what to do if they see or are told about sexual misconduct.

Amanda Pritchard added: “We must do everything in our power to ensure our staff feel able to speak up, and have absolute confidence that they will be given the support they need when they do.

“There is absolutely no place for sexual misconduct or abuse of any kind within the NHS – a place where staff come to work every day to provide compassionate care and support to others, and we know that women are more likely to be affected – this is unacceptable, and we must not tolerate it.”

The NHS said the new policy covers all sexual misconduct at work – whether in an NHS setting, a virtual environment or elsewhere.

It can include many things from sexual assault or rape to sexual comments or jokes, showing sexual pictures and staring at someone in a sexual way.

In this year’s NHS Staff Survey, almost 26,000 staff said they’d been the victim of assault, touching, sexualised or inappropriate conversation or jokes from their colleagues.

Dr Chelcie Jerwick is the co-founder of Surviving in Scrubs, a campaign group that highlights sexual harassment in the NHS. She believes many more cases go unreported but that the anonymous system is a great way to give people options to come forward.

“I think that there is definitely a culture of tolerance of these behaviours and attitudes within the NHS.

“I know from my own personal experience of trying to raise complaints that it can be really difficult, not only in order to kind of speak up, but also the logistics of how you raise a complaint. Is that to your consultant, your line manager? Do you go directly to HR?

“It’s really hard to navigate and it can be really scary. So, it’s really great to see NHS England providing this anonymous way of reporting now.”