{"id":458296,"date":"2025-09-28T16:41:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T16:41:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/458296\/"},"modified":"2025-09-28T16:41:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T16:41:18","slug":"unusual-covid-symptom-that-many-brits-overlook-as-new-variant-spreads-rapidly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/458296\/","title":{"rendered":"Unusual Covid symptom that many Brits overlook as new variant spreads rapidly"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new Covid strain, which has two variants – XFG and XFG. 3 – was first identified in January this year.Amy Jones<\/strong> Lifestyle & Features Writer, Cally Brooks<\/strong> Features Writer and Ambarish Awale<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

13:01, 28 Sep 2025<\/p>\n

\"SickThe new Covid variant Stratus, including forms XFG and XFG.3, has been spreading quickly worldwide since January.(Image: Getty Images\/Stock Photo)<\/p>\n

A fresh Covid variant dubbed Stratus is rapidly spreading worldwide, distinguished by one early symptom that sets it apart from other strains.<\/p>\n

The emerging strain, appearing in two forms \u2013 XFG and XFG.3<\/a> \u2013 was first detected in January. By June, the World Health Organisation had added XFG to its monitoring list due to its swift international expansion.<\/p>\n

On September 3, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported a 7.1 percent rise in coronavirus<\/a> infections in England compared with the previous week, although it remains unclear how many cases stem from the XFG variant.<\/p>\n

Generally, Covid symptoms mirror those of other respiratory illnesses, including fever, cough, sneezing, or a runny nose, and can range from mild to severe.<\/p>\n

\"CloseWhen does a cough signify something more serious?(Image: ozgurcankaya via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Yet the most common early sign of Stratus is a hoarse or raspy voice, which may appear before more typical Covid symptoms, making it easy to overlook.<\/p>\n

Irish health<\/a> officials reported 425 new cases in the first week of September, with XFG likely accounting for most.<\/p>\n

Medical professionals have also observed additional symptoms, such as sore throats, nasal congestion, digestive issues, and extreme fatigue.<\/p>\n

Dr Nye told the Mirror<\/a>: “In most ways, it’s almost identical. However, people with this version tend to get very sore throats and a hoarse voice, compared with the other more general symptoms like cough, temperature and aches. Illnesses always see spikes as children go back to school, as close contact and often lower personal hygiene levels mix.”<\/p>\n

Dr Nye added that Stratus can partially evade the immune system, making prior vaccines less effective, which underscores the importance of staying up to date with current Covid vaccinations.<\/p>\n

In line with these findings, the UKHSA has urged the public to take up the free NHS vaccination offer as soon as eligible. Pregnant<\/a> women and millions of children can already access the vaccine, with appointments for most groups available from October 1.<\/p>\n

Vaccination provides the best protection against respiratory viruses, including flu, Covid-19, and RSV, and the NHS booking system has made securing an appointment easier than ever.<\/p>\n

For the first time this year, toddlers are also eligible for the flu jab, administered as a nasal spray at local pharmacies.<\/p>\n

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The government has launched a new communications drive to encourage vaccination and inform the public about protective measures during the winter months.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Dr Peter Chin-Hong from the University of California, San Francisco, warned that Stratus produces a broader range of symptoms than earlier variants.<\/p>\n

“There’s a little bit more sore throats with some people, particularly older adults who didn\u2019t get vaccinated last year,” he told SFGATE.<\/p>\n

“It’s more transmissible, so we expect that a lot of people will get it. Particularly with kids going back to school, a sniffle is likely going to be Covid.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The new Covid strain, which has two variants – XFG and XFG. 3 – was first identified in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":458297,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1433,2266,105,16,15,12846],"class_list":{"0":"post-458296","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-coronavirus","9":"tag-education","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom","13":"tag-universities-and-colleges"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115282922123088553","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}