New COVID variant 'Stratus' is spreading in the U.S. and worldwide: What are the symptoms?
Variant XFG, colloquially known as "Stratus," was first detected in Southeast Asia in January but accounted for less than about 0% of cases in the United States until May. By late June, it was estimated to account for up to 14%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The World Health Organization (WHO) added XFG to its watchlist but evaluated the additional public health risk posed by the variant as "low" at the global level in a late June report, in which it also advised that currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are "expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe disease."
Here's what we know about XFG.
What is COVID variant XFG?
XFG is a combination of COVID-19 variants F.7 and LP.8.1.2, the latter of which is currently the second most prominent strain in the U.S.
The variant's mutations may enhance XFG's ability to evade immune responses, but its binding behavior shows that it is less likely to be highly contagious than other dominant variants, Subhash Verma, microbiology and immunology professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, told USA TODAY.
"There is currently no clear evidence that XFG causes more severe disease or significantly different symptoms than earlier Omicron variants," said Verma. "Importantly, there are no immediate public health concerns associated with this variant."
How common is XFG?
While XFG has been growing and spreading worldwide, it has yet to become the predominant source of infection in the United States.
The CDC has moved to using longer timeframes for COVID tracking due to low reporting from states. According to the latest data for the two-week period ending June 21, XFG accounted for 14% of U.S. cases, making it the third most-prevalent strain after NB.1.8.1 (43%) and LP.8.1 (31%).
The prominence of XFG in the United States significantly increased in the weeks leading up to the last report, accounting for 0% of cases through March before reaching 2% in April, 6% in late May, 11% in early June and 14% in late June.
WHO tracked an uptick in XFG worldwide in June as well, with the June report including data from 38 countries showing that XFG accounted for only 7.4% of positive tests in the first week of May but 22.7% by the last.
USA TODAY has reached out to the CDC for more information about the spread of COVID variants in July and August.
What are the symptoms of XFG?
There is no evidence that XFG causes any distinct symptoms from other variants, said Verma. However, hoarseness has been anecdotally associated with the strain, according to social media posts and news reports.
The CDC outlines the following as common COVID-19 symptoms:
Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Sore throat
Congestion or a runny nose
New loss of taste or smell
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
Nausea or vomiting
The CDC advises seeking medical care if you experience any of the following symptoms:
Trouble breathing
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion
Inability to wake or stay awake
Depending on skin tone, lips, nail beds and skin may appear pale, gray, or blue
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New COVID variant 'Stratus' spreading in US: symptoms, what to know
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
11 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Americans get more than half their calories from ultra-processed foods, CDC report says
Most Americans get more than half their calories from ultra-processed foods, those super-tasty, energy-dense foods typically full of sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, according to a new federal report. Nutrition research has shown for years that ultra-processed foods make up a big chunk of the U.S. diet, especially for kids and teens. For the first time, however, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed those high levels of consumption, using dietary data collected from August 2021 to August 2023. The report comes amid growing scrutiny of such foods by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who blames them for causing chronic disease. 'We are poisoning ourselves and it's coming principally from these ultra-processed foods,' Kennedy told Fox News earlier this year. Overall, about 55% of total calories consumed by Americans age 1 and older came from ultra-processed foods during that period, according to the report. For adults, ultra-processed foods made up about 53% of total calories consumed, but for kids through age 18, it was nearly 62%. The top sources included burgers and sandwiches, sweet baked goods, savory snacks, pizza and sweetened drinks. Young children consumed fewer calories from ultra-processed foods than older kids, the report found. Adults 60 and older consumed fewer calories from those sources than younger adults. Low-income adults consumed more ultra-processed foods than those with higher incomes. The results were not surprising, said co-author Anne Williams, a CDC nutrition expert. What was surprising was that consumption of ultra-processed foods appeared to dip slightly over the past decade. Among adults, total calories from those sources fell from about 56% in 2013-2014 and from nearly 66% for kids in 2017-2018. Williams said she couldn't speculate about the reason for the decline or whether consumption of less processed foods increased. But Andrea Deierlein, a nutrition expert at New York University who was not involved in the research, suggested that there may be greater awareness of the potential harms of ultra-processed foods. 'People are trying, at least in some populations, to decrease their intakes of these foods,' she said. Concern over ultra-processed foods' health effects has been growing for years, but finding solutions has been difficult. Many studies have linked them to obesity, diabetes and heart disease, but they haven't been able to prove that the foods directly cause those chronic health problems. One small but influential study found that even when diets were matched for calories, sugar, fat, fiber and micronutrients, people consumed more calories and gained more weight when they ate ultra-processed foods than when they ate minimally processed foods. Research published this week in the journal Nature found that participants in a clinical trial lost twice as much weight when they ate minimally processed foods — such as pasta, chicken, fruits and vegetables — than ultra-processed foods, even those matched for nutrition components and considered healthy, such as ready-to-heat frozen meals, protein bars and shakes. Part of the problem is simply defining ultra-processed foods. The new CDC report used the most common definition based on the four-tier Nova system developed by Brazilian researchers that classifies foods according to the amount of processing they undergo. Such foods tend to be 'hyperpalatable, energy-dense, low in dietary fiber and contain little or no whole foods, while having high amounts of salt, sweeteners and unhealthy fats,' the CDC report said. U.S. health officials recently said there are concerns over whether current definitions 'accurately capture' the range of foods that may affect health. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department recently issued a request for information to develop a new, uniform definition of ultra-processed foods for products in the U.S. food supply. In the meantime, Americans should try to reduce ultra-processed foods in their daily diets, Deierlein said. For instance, instead of instant oatmeal that may contain added sugar, sodium, artificial colors and preservatives, use plain oats sweetened with honey or maple syrup. Read food packages and nutrition information, she suggested. 'I do think that there are less-processed options available for many foods,' she said.
USA Today
41 minutes ago
- USA Today
Jerome Adams, ex-Trump surgeon general, says mRNA vaccine cuts are 'going to cost lives'
Jerome Adams, the U.S. Surgeon General under President Trump's first term, criticized the Department of Health and Human Services' move this week to cut funding for mRNA vaccine development. "I've tried to be objective & non-alarmist in response to current HHS actions – but quite frankly this move is going to cost lives," Adams said in a post on X on Aug. 5. He added, "mRNA technology has uses that go far beyond vaccines… and the vaccine they helped develop in record time is credited with saving millions." The HHS, now being led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said in a release on Aug. 5 it is cutting nearly $500 million at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which helps develop mRNA vaccine technology. Kennedy called the vaccine technology "ineffective" in a video posted on X Aug. 5. RFK Jr. defunds mRNA vaccine research. His anti-vax policies will kill people. Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is used in the two most common COVID-19 vaccines licensed in the United States, which were developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna during Trump's first administration and Adams' tenure as surgeon general. How do mRNA vaccines work? The COVID-19 vaccine works by instructing the body's immune system to recognize the virus and creating fighting antibodies to attack it. Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is a code that tells the body's cells to produce just a piece of the virus, the protein on the surface. The code is protected by a lipid coating, like a fat bubble. Once injected into the body, the vaccine releases the mRNA to program the cell to produce the spike proteins like those on the surface of SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 virus. Our immune system recognizes those vaccine-created spike proteins as invaders and creates antibodies to block future attacks from the virus. Messenger RNA vaccines contain only a fraction of the virus, so unlike some vaccines, they can't give people the disease they're trying to prevent or trigger allergies to eggs or other traditional vaccine ingredients. What does defunding mRNA technology mean? The most obvious consequence of defunding mRNA vaccine development is losing resources to continue improving the technology for vaccines that target infectious diseases, such as COVID-19 and the bird flu, and cancers, said Jeff Coller, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of RNA biology and therapeutics at Johns Hopkins University. However, he also said it sends a 'chilling' message to vaccine companies about continuing this type of research in the United States. While they may be able to afford research without federal help, companies could be hesitant to pursue mRNA technology if there's a chance the Food and Drug Administration may not approve their vaccines. This could lead companies to move operations and marketing to other countries, which would not only make these therapies more expensive in the United States, but also displace it as 'the world leader in biotechnology,' Coller said. 'The rest of the world is doubling down on mRNA medicines. It's a fact, and the U.S. is going to lose the race,' Coller told USA TODAY on August 6. 'The decision coming from Kennedy is essentially destroying our dominance in the biotech space.' Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez and Eduardo CuevasMelina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at
UPI
42 minutes ago
- UPI
CDC: Young Americans get 62% of calories from ultra-processed foods
A study released by the CDC on found that Americans 18 and younger receive nearly 62% of their calories from ultra-processed foods. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo Aug. 7 (UPI) -- The Centers for Disease Control reported that American young people between the ages 1-18 receive nearly 62% of their calories from ultra-processed foods. The CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that from August 2021 to August 2023, people from that age range got 61.9% of their calories from ultra-processed foods, while adults age 19 and older received 53% of their calories from such foods. Ultra-processed foods, according to the CDC, are able to provide energy but are "low in dietary fiber, and contain little or no whole foods, while having high amounts of salt, sweeteners, and unhealthy fats." The agency also stated that the consumption of ultra-processed foods "has been associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality." A deeper breakdown of the study showed that among children, kids ages 1-5 received 56.1% of their calories from ultra-processed foods, while those ages 6-11 received 64.8% of their calories from them. The caloric reception from such foods then dips slightly for youth ages 12-18, at 63%. As for adults, the numbers indicate that they get fewer calories from ultra-processed foods, as those ages 19-39 received 54.4% of calories from them, then adults ages 40-59 52.6%, and those ages 60 and older 51.7%. The CDC also noted that the top five sources of calories from ultra-processed foods among kids are sandwiches, burgers, sweet bakery products, savory snacks, pizza and sweetened beverages. The CDC is an agency under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. posted a video clip to X Wednesday in which he said that "we are poisoning our children, we are mass-poisoning this generation of children" with sugar and ultra-processed foods.
