New COVID variant on the rise

Much like other seasonal illnesses, coronavirus is something that's likely to be on our radar a bit more over the winter months. And with the new variant now being reported in the UK, let's take a closer look at the current situation. Here's what we know so far.

Thousands of cases of an omicron subvariant of coronavirus, being labelled as the Pirola variant have been reported in the UK. Not a great deal is known about the variant, so a symptom profile has yet to be established.

Typically with previous variants and subvariants, what has been observed is that each successive variant leads to a less severe illness. It is believed that this is in part due to strong general immunity throughout the population, as many of us will have caught covid or had the vaccine or both at some point.

Research into the virus indicates that if you have already had coronavirus, then you are less likely to be hospitalised should you get it again. At this time, any future lockdowns or major interventions remain unlikely.