Stratus was first detected in January 2025 in Southeast Asia
A new strain of Covid is spreading across the UK and Ireland(Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
A new strain of Covid is spreading across the UK and Ireland, as well as other areas of the world. The fresh strain is called Stratus and has two variants, XFG and XFG.3, with XFG.3 accounting for 40 per cent of cases in England as of June this year.
Statistics from health officials including World Health Organisation (WHO) show the strain is surging and the Stratus variant is believed to be responsible for the overwhelming majority of new cases. The variant has also caused a surge in cases across America.
It was initially identified in January this year, and by June, the World Health Organisation categorised XFG as ‘under monitoring’ due to its ‘increasing proportions globally’.
By September 3, the UK Health Security Agency noted a 7.1 per cent increase in coronavirus cases across England compared to the previous week, although it’s uncertain how many are linked to the XFG variant.
Health professionals in Ireland also logged 425 new infections in the first week of September. The symptoms of the latest strain may not be what you typically associate with Covid, a number of doctors and experts have outlined what you need to be looking out for.
One of the main symptoms is a hoarse voice or a raspy one. Dr Nye told the Mirror: “In most ways, it’s almost identical [strains]. However, people with this version tend to get very sore throats and a hoarse voice, compared with the other more general symptoms like cough, temperature and aches.
“Illnesses always see spikes as children go back to school, as close contact and often lower personal hygiene levels mix.”
People wearing masks to protect themselves from Covid(Image: Getty Images)
He added: “This version is more likely to make you sick, however, as they appear to be able to avoid your immune system even if you’ve had it before.
“[This] makes prior vaccines less useful, which makes regular vaccination against the latest coronavirus even more important. Think of it like updating your phone to get the best possible experience.”
Stratus was first detected in January 2025 in Southeast Asia. By June, the variant had spread to 38 countries, leading the World Health Organisation (WHO) to designate Stratus as a “SARS-CoV-2 variant under monitoring”.
WHO has observed that while the latest variant doesn’t seem to trigger more serious illness, it transmits more rapidly than earlier strains which had been identified.
The health organisation says: “Currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe disease.
“COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe disease. Several countries in the South-East Asia Region have reported simultaneous rise in new cases and hospitalisations, where XFG has been widely detected.
“Current data do not indicate that this variant leads to more severe illness or deaths than other variants in circulation.” The common symptoms of Covid-19 can be found on the NHS website.