- A new COVID-19 variant, XFG or “Stratus,” has become the dominant strain in U.S.
- The stratus variant has been detected in wastewater in 30 U.S. states, the CDC reports.
- While viral activity level remains ‘moderate’, several states have showed high levels.
A new COVID-19 variant, XFG — nicknamed “Stratus” — is now the dominant strain in the U.S. And the number of cases is rising in what’s being described as a fairly typical late summer COVID-19 surge. So far, Stratus has been confirmed in wastewater in 30 states, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance.
But the public health giant said it’s likely COVID-19 cases are growing in 45 states and not declining anywhere.
As Today put it, cases are “on the rise in nearly all U.S. states and COVID-related emergency room visits are up among all age groups, just in time for back-to-school season.”
Today reported that “XFG was given its cloud-themed nickname ‘Stratus’ on X by evolutionary biologist T. Ryan Gregory, who also coined Nimbus.”
The Stratus or XFG variant transmits easily and is spreading worldwide. Stratus is a combination of variants F.7 and LP.8.1.2. While it didn’t account for a single reported U.S. case in April, it accounted for 43% of cases by the end of June.
The CDC noted that because of lower reporting levels, the agency has moved to longer reporting periods to track variants.
The viral level nationally is considered “moderate,” but that’s not true of 14 states that have much more viral activity. The CDC wastewater map shows high or very high viral activity levels in a number of states, including California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Texas, as well as Southern states. Many of the states surrounding those states have moderate viral levels in the wastewater. In Hawaii and Louisiana, the levels are very high.
The good news is that fewer people are dying or being hospitalized compared to when COVID-19 was new.
The bad news is the new strain is believed to be highly contagious, Dr. Albert Ko, professor of public health, epidemiology and medicine at Yale School of Public Health, told Today. He said both the earlier Nimbus variant and Stratus seem to be more transmissible than other variants.
The Today article noted that “XFG also has several unique mutations in its spike protein, which have been shown to improve the virus’s ability to evade COVID-19 antibodies from prior infection or vaccination,” per the World Health Organization.
Already-available vaccines are reportedly effective against Stratus in terms of preventing or reducing risk of severe illness.
Symptoms of Stratus
The virus’ symptoms are similar to other strains, though there are two anecdotal carveouts. While loss of taste or smell can occur, those are reportedly somewhat less likely with Stratus. And having a really, really sore throat and hoarseness have been reported to be more common with this.
The other, more standard symptoms of COVID also apply:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Breathing challenges
- Congestion or a runny nose
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
The CDC says to get medical attention if you have:
- Trouble breathing
- Continuing chest pain or pressure
- Onset of confusion
- Inability to wake up or stay awake
- Signs of inadequate oxygen, including pale, gray or blue lips, nails and skin
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