NHS ‘stay at home’ advice as American Covid XFG strain explodes
The NHS has set out exactly when you should stay home if you catch American Covid, or any of the other strains of the virus.
The NHS’ official Covid advice has set out when people should stay at home if they catch any strain of Coronavius, as one strain in particular explodes in numbers.
American Covid, also known as the XFG or Stratus Covid strain, is believed to be driving a huge increase in cases, which have more than doubled, while hospital admissions are up five-fold.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)’s latest monthly figures show a startling 230% increase in cases in September compared to August, from 1,374 to 4,589 cases. Hospital admissions also shot up from 950 to 4,939, a 420% month on month increase.
The UKHSA revealed that the rate of positive Covid tests in hospitals increased from 5.9% to 7%, and more than half were found to be the American Covid or Stratus variant of XFG, first identified last January and which has since spread globally.
The NHS’ official advice for dealing with Covid encourages people to stay at home if they have a high temperature and/or do not feel well enough to go to work or school.
The NHS guidance says: “Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you or your child have symptoms and either:
have a high temperature
do not feel well enough to go to work, school, childcare, or do your normal activities
“You can go back to your normal activities when you feel better or do not have a high temperature.
“If your child has mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat or mild cough, and they feel well enough, they can go to school or childcare.
"Most people do not need to take a COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test if they have symptoms.
"But if you choose to do a test and the result is positive:
- try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for three days after the day the test was taken if you or your child are under 18 years old – children and young people tend to be infectious for less time than adults
- try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days after the day you took your test if you are 18 years old or over
- avoid meeting people who are more likely to get seriously ill from infections, such as people with a weakened immune system, for 10 days after the day you took your test.”
