Symptoms of highly contagious 'Frankenstein' Covid amid rise in Irish cases
The XFG variant, which is dubbed "Stratus", is now the dominant coronavirus strain in England, data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows.
A spin off called XFG.3 is also present and, together, these cases could "lead to a new wave of infection," Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at University of Warwick, said, reports The Mirror.
The UK data comes amid a sharp rise in cases in Ireland, with the most recent data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) reporting 461 cases and 173 hospitalisations in the week up to June 28, both of which were the highest number of 2025 so far.
The Stratus is understood to be more infectious than previous Covid strains due to mutations which help it evade the immune system. The variant has gone from accounting for about 10 per cent of all UK Covid cases in May to almost 40 per cent three weeks later in mid-June.
Professor Young, who has done extensive research at Warwick Medical School on a range of subjects, added: "The increased competitiveness of XFG and XFG.3 is likely due to new spike mutations which make these variants more able to evade the immune response."
Stratus is a descendent of the already super virulent Omicron and is what is known as a Frankenstein or "recombinant" strain. This means it emerged when a person was infected with two Covid strains at once, which then became a new hybrid variant.
But there is currently no evidence Stratus causes more severe illness, and science does show getting a Covid vaccine is "very likely" to offer protection from severe illness and hospitalisation, Professor Young stressed.
"Given that immunity to Covid is waning in the population due to a decline in uptake of the spring booster jab and the reduction of Covid infections in recent months, more people will be susceptible to infection with XFG and XFG.3. This could lead to a new wave of infection but it's difficult to predict the extent of this wave," the academic told Mail Online.
Last week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the strain a "variant under monitoring". This designation means health authorities across the globe have been asked to help track the variant due its rising spread in different countries and the potential public health implications.
Symptoms of this variant are similar to those of other strains of Covid. They include shortness of breath, feeling sick or being sick, loss or change to your smell or taste, and a loss of appetite.
The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
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