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New COVID-19 ‘Stratus’ Variant XFG Now In 38 Countries, WHO Monitoring

UNITED KINGDOM, JUL 9 – Stratus variant now accounts for about 30% of Covid cases in England and features a distinctive hoarse voice symptom while causing mild to moderate illness, according to UKHSA.

  • The World Health Organization designated the recombinant XFG variant, nicknamed 'Stratus', as a variant under monitoring on June 25, 2025.
  • XFG emerged with genetic material from LF.7 and LP.8.1.2, spreading widely especially in Southeast Asia, leading to increased cases and hospitalizations.
  • By June 22, 1,648 XFG sequences from 38 countries represented 22.7% of global samples, with detection rates over 50% in India and 30% in the UK.
  • WHO reports no evidence that XFG causes more severe illness or higher transmissibility than other variants, and notes vaccines and antivirals remain effective against it.
  • WHO assesses the global risk from XFG as low but advises continued monitoring and standard COVID measures, including vaccination and early antiviral treatment.
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Should you be worried about the new Covid strain Stratus? Signs and symptoms as cases on the rise in the UK

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Belfast Live broke the news in Belfast, United Kingdom on Sunday, July 6, 2025.
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