“Stratus variant of COVID-19 spreads widely in the US and several countries”

Although it has not yet caused major public health concerns, U.S. health officials are closely monitoring the developments of this COVID-19 variant.

First detected in Asia, rapidly increasing in the U.S.

The XFG variant, also known as “Stratus,” was first detected in Southeast Asia in January. However, as of May, almost no cases had been recorded in the U.S.

According to the U.S. CDC, by the end of June, XFG accounted for about 14% of total cases, becoming the third most prevalent variant in the country.

However, in a late June report, the WHO assessed the public health risk posed by XFG as “low,” confirming that current vaccines remain effective in preventing symptoms and severe cases related to this variant.

XFG is the result of a recombination between the F.7 and LP.8.1.2 variants (the second most prevalent strain in the U.S. currently).

Some mutations in XFG may help it evade the immune system, but its transmission rate is not as high as other dominant variants.

“There is currently no evidence suggesting that XFG causes more severe illness or significantly different symptoms compared to previous strains,” emphasized the expert.

Not yet dominant but spreading rapidly

XFG has not become the dominant variant in the U.S., but its proportion is rising sharply. In the last two weeks of June, ending on the 21st, XFG accounted for 14% of total cases, following NB.1.8.1 (43%) and LP.8.1 (31%).

This rate has increased rapidly compared to previous months—from 0% in March to 2% in April, 6% by the end of May, 11% in early June, and 14% by late June.

Globally, the WHO has observed a similar trend. In its June report, the WHO noted that XFG accounted for 7.4% of positive cases in early May and rose to 22.7% by the end of the month.

So far, there is no evidence that XFG causes symptoms significantly different from previous COVID-19 variants.

However, some social media posts and media reports suggest that hoarseness may be a common symptom of this strain.

The U.S. CDC states that common COVID-19 symptoms still include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, nasal congestion, loss of taste or smell, fatigue, body aches, headache, nausea, or vomiting.

Patients should seek medical attention if they experience severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing or persistent chest pain.

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