Scientists are worried that Covid may have morphed into a stomach bug as cases rise.
They’ve noticed “huge spikes” in Covid traces in wastewater plants across Europe, which could be from infected people’s fecal matter.
Virologist Marc Johnson told MailOnline: “There were some huge spikes in wastewater in Europe, and a lot of us were pondering what the possible explanations could be – whether it’s just a lot of cases or whether there’s some other explanation.”
He added that if true, it “wouldn’t be that surprising”. The CDC says nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can be symptoms of the virus.
JN.1 is currently the quickest-spreading variant, with a rise in reported cases in countries around the globe as Christmas approaches.
Stuart Turville, a renowned virus expert, suggested that this new strain might be focusing more on our gut cells.
Prof Johnson further confirmed: “Dr. Turville has an observation that the newer lineages prefer a slightly different version of the receptor that’s more common in the GI tract, which is possibly supportive evidence.
“But a more likely explanation is that we’re seeing compounding waves right now.”
Traces of the virus are being found in wastewater, likely exiting patients’ bodies in fecal matter.
In recent weeks, the detection of these viruses has been increasingly noticed in waste plants in Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
Dr. Johnson also commented: “We find evidence of people that have been infected for years and are shedding crazy amounts of virus that we can detect them in sewer sheds with over 100,000 people.”
The news comes as cases of COVID-19 soar in several states across the US, although the CDC has warned that an uptick in respiratory illnesses is common this time of year.
