National: Odd night-time symptom could mean you have latest Covid-19 strain amid update

Health officials in Ireland have reported another rise in confirmed cases of the new Covid variant, JN.1.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) confirmed 832 cases of the strain on February 7 and a week later on February 14, infections had risen to 980, almost an 18% increase.

The HSPC has said in its latest report that the JN.1 strain has "rapidly increased" since November, 2023, and "there are likely to be increases in case numbers", adding "There is no indication of impact of vaccine effectiveness or increased disease severity as compared to other circulating variants."

The JN.1 variant, a sublineage of another variant BA.2.86 that was first detected in Israel in August 2023, has since spread rapidly, becoming the predominant variant globally and was even marked a Variant of Interest by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in December, 2023.

As for the 980 cases that have been confirmed in Ireland to date, those infected have reported on some particularly odd and unpleasant symptoms at night that sets this strain apart from the others.

Although this variant shares a lot of symptoms that are common with having Covid such as cough, and runny nose, trouble sleeping and worry/anxiety have been uncovered by the UK's Office for National Statistics.

The list of reported symptoms include:

• Runny nose
• Cough
• Headache
• Weakness or tiredness
• Muscle Ache
• Sore Throat
• Trouble Sleeping
• Worry and/or anxiety

According to the HSE, the top three symptoms to watch out for are high temperature/chills, a dry cough, and fatigue.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, the HSE advises you to stay at home and avoid contact with people for 48 hours after your symptoms are gone.