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Victims of a new, fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus first identified in the United Kingdom are reporting more symptoms across the board than those infected with the original strain of the virus, new research shows.
A survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics in England found that those who test positive for the variant are more likely to report a persistent cough, tiredness, muscle aches, sore throat and fever compared to those who have the original strain.
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Interestingly, patients infected with the variant were significantly less likely to report a loss of the sense of taste or smell, among the more unusual symptoms of the coronavirus.
Tony Moody, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute at Duke University Medical Center, said it's not surprising that a new variant would cause somewhat different symptoms.
"Variants have changes in their genetic code that will result in proteins being built differently, and those can change how the virus interacts with the body,” he said.
He noted, however, that the differences found in the British survey are quite subtle — no new symptoms were reported by patients with the variant — and it's too early to know if they indicate anything significant.
"If suddenly a new symptom emerged or another one went away, then that would be perhaps something more concerning,” he said.
Most common variant symptoms
The U.K. variant, known as B.1.1.7, was first detected in September and has since spread rapidly around the world. It is circulating in at least 28 U.S. states.
Studies show it is 40 to 70 percent more transmissible than the original coronavirus strain. It could become the dominant strain in the U.S. by March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
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