We have lived through a Covid summer – and a new variant is causing concern

Rebecca Jones noticed something unusual with her morning coffee, which turned out to be a significant indicator. During the summer, she brewed her regular pot at 8 am and eagerly took her first sip, only to find it tasted strange. “It was really bad,” she recalls. She remembered experiencing a similar taste in 2020, which made her realize, “That’s when I knew it was Covid.”

This summer has been quite unpredictable, with Covid still hanging around in the lives of many. Four years back, the initial urgency was just starting to form – we had yet to face two additional nationwide lockdowns, and by May 2023, the UK death toll would sadly climb to 227,000. Globally, the numbers went beyond 7 million. We donned masks, kept our distance, isolated ourselves, and felt a sense of anxiety.

The journey back to everyday life was lengthy and challenging, but for most people, it felt incredibly rewarding. The little joys that we once took for granted—like hugging friends, traveling, or not stressing over wearing a mask—were celebrated openly for a time. It’s understandable that the excitement of stopping by the pub after work or grocery shopping without long waits faded sooner than expected.

For a period, it felt unexpected when someone shared that they had tested positive. The idea of isolating felt unnecessary again. However, now that sense of certainty is gradually fading. A hint of fear has returned, but this time there’s hardly any reliable guidance available. Additionally, there’s a broader awareness of the new risks associated with long Covid.

Earlier this year, reports indicated that around two million individuals in the UK are experiencing long Covid, which equates to one in every twenty people who have had the virus. Experts are now warning of a new, more powerful variant that is circulating in Europe. Initially detected in Germany as the XEC strain in June, health specialists anticipate that it might become the leading variant within a few months and could lead to a rise in cases when temperatures drop.

Common symptoms are fatigue, trouble sleeping, breathlessness, and chest discomfort, along with various others. Recent statistics from the UK indicate a week-to-week increase of 4.3 percent in Covid cases, and as of August 30, England recorded 1,465 hospital admissions. Ongoing research is being conducted to gather more information about the new variant.

Most individuals will improve within a few weeks; however, some may take longer to heal. Those at greater risk include smokers, people who are overweight, individuals who have been hospitalized because of severe Covid symptoms before, and residents of underprivileged areas. Additionally, age is associated with ongoing symptoms.

"In recent years, Covid-19 has transformed into a condition we’ve adapted to living with. However, this doesn’t imply that it’s no longer a serious threat," explains Professor Mark Wass, who leads the University of Kent’s School of Bioscience. "According to information from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), there have been between 100 and 200 deaths attributed to Covid-19 each week in recent months."

"Although Covid-19 remains a serious threat, many people now experience symptoms that resemble those of a cold. However, the possibility of long Covid still exists," Wass notes.

The recent increase in Covid cases during this summer, known as the "summer Covid wave," is challenging to confirm. According to Mark Woolhouse, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, the UK's monitoring of Covid infections is much less rigorous than it used to be. This reduction in surveillance makes it harder to identify the patterns of infection waves, evaluate the impact of various variants, or determine how well the vaccines work against them, as he mentioned in a recent interview with the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

In our households, the same trend has emerged. Many of us tend to think about testing only when it’s necessary. We're unsure whether our old Covid tests are still valid. Plus, we hesitate to pay £29.99 for a new one.

Although monitoring infections can be challenging, there has been a rise in the instances of Covid being mentioned on death certificates in the UK over the past few months. Following a surge in cases during January and February, the numbers dropped significantly until May, when the weekly death toll hit a low of 93. However, it then increased again, exceeding 200 in several weeks throughout July and August.

Research indicates that getting vaccinated can lower the chance of developing long Covid by a factor of four. However, at this moment, only individuals who are particularly at risk can receive a booster shot. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) ended the spring vaccination campaign for booster doses, which included those over 75, residents of care facilities, and immunocompromised individuals, on June 30.

Wass mentions that vaccination campaigns have transitioned to a seasonal approach, and there hasn't been any announcement for a fall vaccination program. As a result, individuals who want to receive a booster shot will need to pay between £45 and £99. "If you qualify for the vaccine, it's recommended that you get it. We understand that the immunity provided by vaccines diminishes over time, so getting vaccinated is the most effective way to ensure protection."

It seems that people who can't receive booster shots and go on to catch the virus are experiencing lingering symptoms. As we learn more about long Covid over time, we're discovering an increasing number of cases, including some that are more severe.

A friend of mine was diagnosed with Parsonage-Turner syndrome, a nerve condition that leads to intense and sudden pain in the shoulder and upper arm, after he got Covid in June. Even though he's a fit 39-year-old who exercises regularly, he is now dealing with ongoing pain and weakness that can persist for months.

“At first, I suspected it was arthritis,” he shares with me. A week prior, he had been struck by “excruciating pain” in his shoulder, and he started to notice symptoms like confusion and dizziness. “By the next day, I was confined to bed, and by the third day, a rash had spread all over my skin.” While the early symptoms faded fairly quickly, he has since been diagnosed with a chronic condition that cannot be cured.

If you have Covid-19, the recommendations are similar to those for other infectious respiratory illnesses. It's important to limit the spread by staying home and minimizing interactions with others.

Mark Wass, the director of the School of Biosciences at the University of Kent

"The doctors mentioned that the virus is likely affecting my joints," he says. "As a result, I’m unable to lift anything even slightly heavy with my left arm. It’s been really hard to deal with – especially since lifting weights is my way of fighting off depression."

Many people share similar challenges and frustrations, feeling let down by general practitioners who treat the issue as just another minor illness. Some are shocked and distressed by the lack of testing these days, with the assumption that recovery can happen in just a few days. Olivia, 35, whose name has been altered for privacy, has been struggling with long Covid for nearly a year. She finds it surreal to talk with friends who are aware they have Covid but continue to go to work and carry on with their lives as if everything is normal, while she experiences the significant impact of the virus.

"Society doesn’t really recognize that getting it can be problematic, or even dangerous. The actual risk is much greater than most people realize." Next week, Olivia will be moving in with her boyfriend, who has been dealing with long Covid since the summer. "We're partly moving in so I can help take care of him. Many of the symptoms he's experiencing are similar to what I've gone through."

"It feels crazy that both of us might actually have it. But apparently, that's where we stand."

Olivia needed to step away from her job as a program director for three months to focus on her recovery, which had a significant impact on her work. This is something that countless others have gone through, with some facing even more severe challenges. Recently, the Wall Street Journal revealed that "long Covid has derailed the careers of a million Americans." They discovered that even years after being infected, some people still struggle to perform simple tasks like responding to emails.

BBC Breakfast recently aired a 15-minute feature discussing individuals who have developed ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, following a Covid infection. The segment highlighted stories like that of young newlyweds James and Karen Hargrave.

Karen has started a campaign called There for ME to help bring attention to the challenges people with the condition face. Although she has healed from the virus and ME enough to return to work on a part-time basis, her husband, who used to be an avid runner, has deteriorated significantly. He can no longer speak—she hasn't heard him utter a word in a year—and he has difficulty swallowing.

Rebecca Jones, a resident of Holton-le-Clay in Lincolnshire, experienced long Covid after her initial COVID-19 infection. As a result, she developed alopecia and suffered from extreme fatigue. Additionally, she struggled with a memory test for dementia, describing the experience as “terrifying.”

This time, she's experiencing “phantom smells,” which are affecting her senses. Currently, she can’t get vaccinated, even though she was previously considered vulnerable, and paying for a private vaccine is beyond her means. Additionally, her hot flashes from menopause, which had been inactive for two years prior to her Covid infection, have returned and show no signs of stopping, according to her.

"I even reached out to my Member of Parliament," she explains. "But all I got back was the exact same information that's available on the NHS website. I really want to get vaccinated, but it's not possible for me. In my circle of friends, I've witnessed people catch Covid and then act like it’s no big deal, heading straight to the pub. It made me wonder, how can they be so careless?"

"If you have Covid-19, the recommendations are similar to those for other infectious respiratory illnesses," explains Wass. "We should aim to limit its transmission by staying home and minimizing interaction with others."

However, a lot of people are unable or unwilling to follow that guidance. The impact on both work and personal lives has been significant, and while hybrid work arrangements are effective in curbing the spread of any illness, many employees depend on their employers' understanding when it comes to supporting those with long-term conditions such as long Covid. In the United States, this condition has been classified as a disability, but the situation remains undecided in the UK.

Experts predict that in the upcoming months and years, we will experience more "waves" of the disease. This expectation is based on a mix of new variants and a gradual decrease in immunity against infections, according to Woolhouse in an interview with the BMJ.

Are we going to adopt a more mindful strategy in handling the virus? Those experiencing long-term effects are cautioning that it's necessary.