A new strain of Covid-19 is taking hold in the UK, and people who have caught it - like me - are reporting unusual symptoms.

Five years since the pandemic started, Covid variants are still being transmitted across the globe.

A new mutation of the notorious Omicron variant - NB. 1.8.1 or Nimbus - was first identified back in January.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated it a "variant under monitoring" because of its rapid circulation across the globe.

WHO says it seems to be more contagious than previous variants, although there is no evidence that it's any more serious than other mutations. But some people who catch it are reporting symptoms that vary from the "classic" coronavirus traits of persistent cough, sore throat, and headaches.

That was certainly my experience, as my Covid Diary explains:

Tuesday

I've been feeling tired all day. My wife and daughter have both been suffering from sore throats, so when my throat starts to tickle I think little more of it.

Making dinner on Tuesday evening I suddenly feel a chill passing through my body from shoulders to torso like a wave. It's an odd feeling. An hour later a persistent cough has started, although I don't immediately attribute it to Covid.

Wednesday

My swollen throat - and the pain of swallowing - has kept me awake during the night. Paracetamol does not seem to be shifting the headache, and the persistent cough is making my throat hurt more.

I email my editor telling him I won't be at work. "There's nothing in the diary I can't pick up tomorrow," I tell him, somewhat........

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