Egypt Daily News – A newly identified COVID-19 strain, dubbed “Stratus,” is raising concerns among public health experts in the United Kingdom as it rapidly becomes the dominant variant nationwide. Scientifically classified as XFG, this strain has shown increased transmissibility due to mutations that enable it to better evade immune responses.
Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) indicates that Stratus has surged in prevalence, growing from approximately 10% of COVID-19 cases in May to nearly 40% by mid-June. The variant is a recombinant form of the virus—a so-called “Frankenstein” strain—emerging when an individual is co-infected with two different variants, resulting in a hybrid mutation. It descends from the highly contagious Omicron lineage.
Virologist Professor Lawrence Young of the University of Warwick described the spread of both the main XFG strain and its subvariant XFG.3 as “rapid.” He noted that waning immunity in the population, driven by low uptake of spring booster vaccinations and reduced infection rates in recent months, may leave more individuals vulnerable to infection.
“This could lead to a new wave of cases,” said Professor Young. “But predicting the scale of that wave is challenging.”
Risk and Symptoms Remain Under Study
At present, there is no evidence that Stratus causes more severe illness than previous variants. Vaccination remains a key defense, with experts emphasizing its effectiveness in preventing serious symptoms and hospitalization.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified Stratus as a “variant under monitoring” and assessed its overall risk as low. Nevertheless, the variant appears to have a significant growth advantage, currently accounting for roughly 22% of reported COVID-19 cases globally.
Key Symptoms and Warning Signs
Most symptoms linked to the Stratus variant mirror those seen with earlier strains of COVID-19. According to the NHS, these include fatigue, fever, cough, sore throat, and loss of taste or smell. However, one distinctive symptom reported by clinicians is hoarseness—a raspy or rough voice.
Dr. Kaywan Khan, a general practitioner and founder of Hana London Clinic, said that while symptoms are typically mild to moderate, those who test positive should self-isolate due to the variant’s high transmissibility.
As public health authorities monitor the situation, experts continue to urge vaccination, vigilance, and testing in the face of emerging variants like Stratus.
