Scientific organizations around the world have designated ‘Centaur’ as a ‘variant under observation’
Covid cases are on the rise in the UK and another sub-variant of Omicron has been detected since it was identified in India.
THE “Centaur” is the latest sub-variant of the disease and cases have so far been identified in Britain, the US, Germany, Canada, Australia and other countries.
Also known as the Omicron BA.2.75 variant, it is closely related to the BA.5 and BA.2 variants, but can spread even faster than its “cousins”, the Mirror reports.
Scientific organizations around the world have labeled Centaur as a “variant under surveillance”, while the World Health Organization’s chief scientist, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, said there was not enough data to determine how deadly it is.
As always, people should be cautious as understanding the symptoms can only help the situation. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) marked BA.2.75 as a “monitored variant” on July 7. This suggests that the variant may be more transmissible than previous strains, although data are still being collected.
Its symptoms “Centaur” believed to be similar to Omicron’s earlier variants. However, as the new sub-variant is still under study, it is important to understand all the possible symptoms to look out for.
The NHS has listed all the signs and symptoms that people with Covid-19 may experience:
- High temperature or chills (chills).
- New, continuous cough. This means you cough a lot, for more than an hour or three or more episodes of coughing in 24 hours.
- Loss or change in the sense of smell or taste
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling tired or exhausted
- Body pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Stuffy nose or runny nose
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhea
- Feeling sick or unwell
The latest data published by Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that cases rose by 29% in the week ending July 6. Currently, positive cases of Covid-19 in the UK amount to around one in 19 people in England, one in 16 in Scotland, one in 17 in Northern Ireland and one in 17 in Wales.
There is still no concrete evidence of the “Centaur”, although it is being studied by scientific groups around the world. Since it was discovered in India, it has been identified in 10 other nations, including the UK, Germany, Canada and Australia.
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