New Covid Variant , Stratus (XFG), is spreading in the US, accounting for 14 perccent of cases in just three months. It is now the third most common variant in the US.
A new Covid-19 variant known as ‘Stratus’ is spreading across the United States, prompting health officials to monitor it closely. Also known as XFG, the new Covid strain was firstly detected in Southeast Asia in January, according to a report in Hindustan Times.
The strain remained largely unnoticed in the US until recently.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it accounted for 14 per cent of all Covid-19 cases in the US by late June, making it the third most common variant currently in circulation.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has added XFG to its list of monitored variants but declared its global public health risk as “low.” WHO also confirmed that current Covid-19 vaccines are still expected to protect against both symptomatic and severe illness caused by this latest strain.
What is Stratus (XFG)?
XFG is a recombinant variant — a combination of two earlier strains: F.7 and LP.8.1.2, the latter now being the second most prevalent strain in the US. Scientists believe XFG may carry mutations that help it better evade the immune system, but there’s no strong evidence yet that it spreads faster than previous variants. New Covid Variant
While speaking to USA Today, Dr. Subhash Verma, professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Nevada, Reno, emphasized that there are no immediate public health concerns linked to XFG.
“There is currently no clear evidence that XFG causes more severe disease or significantly different symptoms than earlier Omicron variants,” USA Today quoted Verma as saying . New Covid Variant
What Are The Symptoms Of Stratus?
The Stratus strain began to surface in the US from April. As per CDC data, in March, there was no Stratus case in the States. Thereafter, cases climbed to 2% in April, 6% in May, and 14% by late June, according to the CDC.
Globally, WHO reported its rise from 7.4% of cases in early May to 22.7% by June-end across 38 countries.
The symptoms for this strain remain consistent with other Covid variants. The symptoms include:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Fatigue
- Sore throat
- Loss of taste or smell
- Congestion
- Muscle aches
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Shortness of breath
