A new Covid-19 variant known as ‘Stratus’ is sweeping across the globe, with cases already on the rise in the UK.
Statistics show Covid-19 cases are on the rise in England again as the new strains - known as XFG and XFG.3 - sweep the country, according to the latest data by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Levels of the virus have risen 14.3 per cent from September 10 to September 17, hitting 1,995 cases.
It’s estimated that 30 per cent of recent UK cases are thought to have come from the new Covid-19 variant.
Deaths and hospitalisations from the virus are also on the up, stats show, with 78 Covid deaths recorded in the week ending September 17, down by one as of the week before but up 36.2 per cent from the week before that.
A further 1,162 patients were admitted to hospital with Covid in the week ending August 31 – a 15.6 per cent increase from the week before, according to the latest figures.
The virus has since been designated a “variant under monitoring” by the WHO, meaning it is currently low risk but scientists will be keeping an eye on its development in case it begins to pose a risk in the future.
So, what do you need to know about this new Covid variant?
What is the XFG Covid variant?
The XFG or Stratus COVID-19 variant was first discovered in January 2025 and belongs to the Omicron family. It’s thought to be a development of two other recombined variants: LF.7 and LP.8.1.2.
Much like the other Covid variant Nimbus, it gets its name from a type of cloud.
While it’s currently not the most dominant Covid-19 variant around the word, scientists have started to notice a rise in cases testing positive for XFG or XFG.3.
According to the WHO, vaccines are understood to be effective against this strain, but a slight “immune evasion” is still being studied.
“Currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe disease,” a report by the organisation confirmed.
The WHO report continues: “XFG is growing rapidly compared to co-circulating variants globally. However, XFG exhibits only marginal additional immune evasion over LP.8.1. While there are reported increases in cases and hospitalisations in some of the SEAR countries, which has the highest proportion of XFG, there are no reports to suggest that the associated disease severity is higher as compared to other circulating variants.”
Stratus Covid-19 symptoms
The new Stratus Covid-19 variant appears to be causing people unique symptoms that may serve as a clear indication that they have contracted the virus.
While the new variant is still being studied to fully understand it’s impact, some reports claim that people with stratus are developing a “hoarseness” in their voices.
A medical specialist speaking to Cosmpolitan suggested that people should look out for a “scratchy or raspy voice," but maintained that most cases are mild or moderate.
Despite these new signs, the most effective way to confirm Covid-19 cases is to get properly tested and to take the necessary precautions to reduce the spread of the virus.
Has it reached London yet and how many cases?
The latest statistics came as of September 18, there were 54 confirmed cases in the UK, 48 of which were in England.
Of the 48 cases in England, 30 were identified as part of a care home outbreak investigation in the East of England, while the other 18 were identified through routine tests.
10 of those cases were hospitalised, two were tested in an emergency department, and six cases have unknown statuses.
At the time of writing, no known deaths have been among these cases.
