By Fionnuala Boyle

Copyright dailyrecord

Brits currently grappling with a cold, fever, or any other suspicious symptoms should be aware by now that a new strain of Covid has reared its head. In fact, it now accounts for a larger proportion of infections than any other. The new strain, called Stratus, has two variants, XFG and XFG.3, and is known for its unique symptom of giving people a hoarse voice . Globally, XFG was estimated to have the highest relative growth compared to other variants currently circulated, including the recent “Nimbus” NB.1.8.1. And in the last few days, a NHS boss has issued a fresh warning about the new strains of Covid , saying the new variants appear to be affecting people earlier in the year. Despite this, you might not get vaccinated anytime soon. Darryn Allcorn, chief nurse at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, told the BBC : “What we’re definitely seeing at the moment is an earlier occurrence of Covid this year which is causing some challenges across the system.” Wondering why you might not get protected from the latest variant? Well, some patients are being denied Covid jabs due to new eligibility rules . In Scotland, as many as 600,000 people are missing out on this year’s free Covid boosters due to the new eligibility rules for the whole of the UK. The last two years saw everyone aged 65 and over eligible for the Covid jab during the winter months, and back in 2022, the jab was offered to all over-50s. But new rules from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the UK Government, say that only those over 75 are eligible this year. Younger patients with weaker immune systems are also still able to receive the vaccine on the NHS, as are those who live in a care home for older adults. Prof David Strain, from the University of Exeter’s Medical School, told the BBC the decision was made not to widen the jab rollout because the new strains were not anticipated to be as bad as others. “The reason we’re not vaccinating more groups is because the role of the vaccine is to stop spread and severe illness,” he told the BBC. “This year, we’re not expecting the severe illness, so we don’t need to be giving the vaccine to everybody.” Right enough, despite accounting for a large proportion of new cases in the UK, many experts are not concerned about the spread, noting it is normal for viruses to mutate and change, as we previously reported. . And the World Health Organisation has designated the XFG as a “variant under monitoring” and has said the additional public health risk posed by XFG is evaluated as low at the global level. Despite this, pharmacies in England have been facing serious backlash after turning away between a third and half of patients showing up for pre-booked Covid booster jabs. While the frustrated patients have been able to book the booster online, they are being told upon arrival to their appointments that they are not eligible for the vaccine. North of the border, Age Scotland chief executive, Katherine Crawford called the decision to stop the Covid vaccine being given alongside the flu vaccine “puzzling”. Flu vaccinations have not been impacted .