[REVISION HISTORY]

Global XFG Stratus COVID-19 variant spread

Updated 4 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-09 11:51 UTC → 2026-10-12 08:02 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The XFG COVID-19 variant, nicknamed ‘Stratus’ or ‘American Covid’, has triggered a global rise in infections. This recombinant strain, formed from the mixing of Omicron subvariants LF.7 and LP.8.1.2, was first identified in early 2025 and has since spread globally. In the United Kingdom, the variant has driven a nearly 50% surge in hospital admissions within a single week, according to the UK Health Security Agency. London has seen a particularly sharp increase, with admissions in the capital rising by approximately 79% in one week. Among adults aged 85 and older, admissions rose from 7.08 to 12.43 per 100,000 people. While the percentage of positive hospital tests has increased from 5.9% to 7%, health experts note that current admission rates remain at a baseline level compared to the height of the pandemic. Reported symptoms include fever, chills, headache, body aches, runny or congested nose, sore throat, fatigue, cough, and hoarseness. Medical professionals note that the loss of taste and smell occurs less frequently with this strain. Because symptoms overlap significantly with the flu and common colds, experts recommend rapid testing, though a negative result does not definitively rule out infection. The World Health Organization has maintained XFG on its watch list since June 2025. By late 2026, the variant has driven a significant increase in activity across Europe and other regions, including the United States and parts of Southeast Asia. In England, hospitalizations rose from 950 in August to 4,939 in September, a 420% increase in one month, while reported cases grew from 1,374 to 4,589 in the same period. ~~Despite this surge,~~ More than half of the ~~WHO currently considers~~ positive hospital tests have been identified as the ~~global public health risk to be low. The UK Health Security Agency notes there is no evidence that~~ XFG ~~causes more severe disease than previous Omicron variants.~~ variant.

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