A new variant of the continually mutating COVID-19 virus has health officials on alert as it spreads rapidly worldwide.
Nicknamed “Stratus,” the XFG strain was recently designated a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization (WHO), as it accounts for a growing proportion of cases globally, particularly in Southeast Asia, where the new variant is connected to a simultaneous rise in new cases and hospitalizations.
Despite the uptick in illness, the WHO considers the overall public health risk from XFG to be low, and current data does not suggest that this variant leads to more severe illness or deaths than other variants in circulation.
“In most parts of the United States, we are in a pretty good place regarding respiratory illness, and most people should be enjoying their summer activities without too much worry,” says Mark Rupp, MD, a professor in the division of infectious diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Nationally, the wastewater viral activity level for COVID-19 is currently very low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but Dr. Rupp warns that, “with the XFG variant coming on the scene, this could start to bump up.”
Current COVID-19 Symptoms May Now Include Hoarseness
Experts expect XFG to cause symptoms similar to many previous variants, says Amy Edwards, MD, an assistant professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases.
Typical COVID-19 symptoms include the following:
Several media outlets have reported that people who are infected with the new variant are also experiencing hoarseness or a dry, irritated throat among the main effects of the virus.
Dr. Edwards, however, doesn’t view hoarseness as particularly unique to XFG. “There are a number of variants that have been causing sore throat or hoarse voice,” she says. “All respiratory viruses can do this, along with all the other usual symptoms, such as cough, runny nose, and fever.”
Fewer People Are Reporting Their COVID-19 Infections
The CDC cautions that due to the low number of infections reported, precision in the most recent reporting period is low. Walgreens also offers a tracker of respiratory illness trends based on its consumer data, but Dr. Rupp warns that Walgreens’ tracking suffers from some of the same limitations as the CDC’s system and does not offer detailed sequencing information.
“As most folks with COVID do not get tested, or they use home test kits that are not reported, the data we have in the public health sequencing system is pretty scant and lags behind,” says Dr. Rupp.
COVID-19 Can Still Make You Unpleasantly Sick
The WHO stresses that the Stratus variant does not appear to cause more severe illness than recent previous strains.
Edwards suspects that COVID-19 cases may rise as the summer continues, but she doesn’t expect the situation to be any worse than last year.
Also, while COVID may not be causing as many life-threatening illnesses as in the past, she says that even a mild-seeming infection can be fairly bad compared with other respiratory illnesses. “This is probably because by now everyone has had COVID at least once or had multiple vaccines, so the virus is no longer novel to the body’s immune system,” says Edwards.
The CDC recommends staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, as they significantly lower the risk of getting very sick, being hospitalized, or dying from COVID-19.
The agency also urges all people to protect themselves with these habits:
- Practicing good hygiene, including regular hand-washing
- Staying home and away from others, including people you live with who are not sick, if you have respiratory symptoms
- Seeking healthcare promptly for testing or treatment if you have risk factors for severe illness
- Wearing a mask can help lower the risk of transmission
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