Covid, new Stratus variant on the rise in Great Britain: the symptoms

A new variant of Covid is responsible for the disease which continues to circulate in autumn 2026. It is the Stratus variant (XFG), ascertained by the World Health Organization, which follows the previous Omicron variants.

As highlighted by the WHO, the new variant does not cause different or more serious symptoms than the previous ones. However, the growth in positive cases of the virus is starting to alarm the United Kingdom which in September saw positive tests increase by 7% and hospital admission rates by +50% in the same period.

The data comes from the UK Health Security Agency, the British government agency responsible for protecting public health which, like the WHO, has reassured us about the lack of evidence that XFG can cause more serious diseases than other variants in circulation. In fact, it is not unusual that in the colder months, starting from autumn and throughout the winter, hospitalizations increase in parallel with the overall activity of Covid.

The symptoms

The symptoms of the Stratus variant are the same as other Covid variants. We are talking about even intense sore throat, fever and chills, cough, stuffy nose, headache, tiredness and muscle pain. More rarely, XFG can also cause changes in taste and smell.

Although there is no evidence that the new variant is more dangerous, the recommendations for fragile subjects remain valid: the risk of complications remains greater for elderly, immunosuppressed or chronically ill people. Vaccination continues to offer protection especially against severe forms.