Doctors call for return of face masks after new covid strain reaches uk

DOCTORS HAVE CALLED FOR A RETURN TO FACE MASKS AFTER THE WHO HAS OBSERVED RISE INFECTIONS IN THREE REGIONS ACROSS THE GLOBE – THE NEWS COMES COUPLED WITH A NEW COVID VARIANT BEING DETECTED

IN THE UK 14:33, 04 Jun 2025Updated 14:34, 04 Jun 2025 Doctors have called for a return to face masks as cases of COVID-19 have spiked across various places across the globe including Hong

Kong, China, Australia, India, Thailand and the US. The news comes coupled as a new strain of Covid-19 has been detected in the UK. In the UK, several people have been diagnosed with the new

COVID strain dubbed, the NB.1.8.1 strain, according to the Public Health Agency. NB.1.8.1 has been officially designated a “variant under monitoring” by the WHO due to its rapid rise and

the potential to evade immunity from previous infections or vaccines. The new COVID variant is already the dominant strain in Hong Kong and China, and has also been detected in Australia,

the US, Egypt, Thailand, Maldives and now the UK. Many of the symptoms are the same as the previous COVID strains but also come with more unusual signs, which aren't always associated

with the virus – such loss of appetite and diarrhoea. The emergence of this new COVID strain comes coupled with the WHO warning rising COVID activity in three global regions. “Since

mid-February 2025, according to data available from sentinel sites, global SARS-CoV-2 activity has been increasing, with the test positivity rate reaching 11%, levels that have not been

observed since July 2024,” the WHO warned in a recent report. Article continues below WHO stated that increased activity has been seen in the Western Pacific, Southeast Asia, and Eastern

Mediterranean regions. Countries in the African region, European region, and the region of the Americas are currently reporting low levels of SARS-CoV-2 activity. Mumbai, India, has become

an epicentre of COVID-19 outbreaks accounting 510 of the 959 cases reported from across the state between May 20 and June 3. Doctors have now started urging people to mask up to prevent the

spread of the virus. “We’re seeing more incidental Covid-19 cases with mild symptoms like low-grade fever or throat irritation, but high-risk individuals—those with diabetes, cardiac

illness, or asthma—should not take chances,” Dr Vimal Pahuja, consultant physician at Hiranandani Hospital in Powai, India, said. “Wearing a mask in closed or poorly ventilated areas,

including lifts, hospitals, clinics, and on public transport, is a low-effort, high-impact intervention. It’s not about fear, it’s about smart protection,” the physician added. Article

continues below Dr Lara Herrero, Associate Professor and Virology Research Leader at Griffith University elaborated on the symptoms of the new strain and said: "Common symptoms include

sore throat, fatigue, fever, mild cough, muscle aches and nasal congestion. Gastrointestinal symptoms may also occur in some cases." _FOR THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS AND STORIES FROM

ACROSS THE GLOBE FROM THE DAILY STAR, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTERS._