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2h ago

UKHSA Urges Symptomatic People to Avoid Contact as Stratus Variant Leads and Hospitalisations Tick Up

Officials report no evidence of greater severity, urging eligible people to keep vaccines up to date.

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Overview

  • XFG (“Stratus”) and NB.1.8.1 (“Nimbus”) are the most common UK lineages, with recent UKHSA surveillance showing XFG and its offshoots accounting for the largest share of sequenced samples.
  • UKHSA data show hospital admissions rising from 2.00 to 2.73 per 100,000 in a week, with test positivity increasing from 7.6% to 8.4% and reported cases up 14.3% in England.
  • Guidance asks anyone with respiratory symptoms to stay home if possible and avoid contact with vulnerable people, with masking, ventilation and hand hygiene advised for those who must go out.
  • Stratus has been frequently linked by experts to a hoarse or raspy voice, though health agencies say overall symptom severity is similar to other Omicron-lineage infections.
  • WHO has classified BA.3.2 as a lineage of interest for close monitoring after lab studies indicated marked antibody evasion, while assessing XFG’s global public-health risk as low and stressing that vaccines remain the best protection against severe disease.