What Infectious Disease Doctors Want You to Know About the New COVID-19 Variant, Stratus

But what is the Stratus variant, and how does it compare to its predecessors? Here’s what infectious disease specialists want you to know.

The Stratus COVID variant, a.k.a. XFG, is currently the dominant strain of the virus in the U.S., causing 78% of cases in the country, according to CDC data.

“It’s an Omicron variant, and it’s a hybrid of two strains—LF.7 and LP.8.1.2,” says Thomas Russo, M.D., professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York.

Stratus has several mutations to the spike protein, which the virus uses to infect your cells and make you sick, per the World Health Organization (WHO). But the WHO also notes that the threat posed by Stratus is “low.”

Stratus has popped up all over the world, but this variant has made its presence known in several parts of the U.S. These are the states that are currently reporting “very high” levels of COVID-19:

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• California
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Louisiana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Utah

However, several other states are reporting “high” and “moderate” levels of the virus.

While Stratus is the dominant COVID variant right now, it’s not causing any wildly different symptoms from previous variants, according to infectious disease specialist Amesh Adalja, M.D., senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security. “The symptoms are the same range of symptoms COVID has always caused,” he says.

These are the major symptoms to keep an eye out for, according to the CDC:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• New loss of taste or smell
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

“There’s a lot of individual variability,” Dr. Russo says. “Some people have mild, cold-like symptoms; Others will be much more ill.”

The fact that Stratus has taken over COVID-19 cases in the country says a lot. “This appears to be marginally more contagious than the prior dominant variant,” Dr. Adalja says.

But all of the Omicron variants have been “extraordinarily infectious,” Dr. Russo says. “Stratus is probably a whiff more infectious than previous variants,” he adds.

In general, most people are infectious with any variant of COVID-19 for about 10 days. “Most people are not infectious beyond 10 days,” Dr. Russo says.

Recommendations around this have changed a few times, making it tough to keep up. Currently, it’s fine to interact with other people when you no longer have a fever for over 24 hours without using fever-reducing medications, Dr. Russo says. Technically, you should wear a high-quality, well-fitting mask for five days after that, he points out.

Yes, COVID tests will detect the Stratus variant. “COVID tests detect all variants,” Dr. Adalja says. Just check the label of your at-home COVID-19 tests, since these expire after a while.

How to protect yourself from the Stratus variant

The best way to protect yourself from the Stratus variant is to make sure you’re up to date with your COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Russo says. While the CDC hasn’t formally signed off on the latest vaccine, it seems likely that anyone who wants to get the vaccine will be able to.

Beyond that, washing your hands frequently, trying to avoid people who are obviously sick, and wearing a mask in crowded indoor spaces is your best bet.

The currently-approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be effective against Stratus, according to WHO. That doesn’t mean you won’t get the virus if you’ve been vaccinated, but it should help to keep you from getting seriously ill.

“Vaccines are protective against what matters: severe disease,” Dr. Adalja says.