We all must remember the beginning of the year 2020, when an unknown virus emerged out of nowhere and took away two years of our lives. Five years into the coronavirus saga, COVID-19 still has not vanished; it has only changed its face.
The newest strain quietly making its way through the genome charts is XFG, also nicknamed ‘Stratus.’ One of its offshoots, XFG.3, is now the variant scientists around the world are watching with cautious eyes.
First detected earlier this year, XFG.3 has already appeared across Asia, Europe and North America. It has shown signs of a slightly faster spread compared to its predecessors.
Researchers are saying that the strain carries a cluster of mutations in its spike protein, the part of the virus that latches itself onto human cells. This possibly explains its growing reach.
While most of its symptoms are the same as its previous strains, experts have noted that it causes a hoarse voice, a feature unique to the strain.
Which might come as good news is that there is no evidence that XFG.3 causes more severe illness compared to the previous strains. Experts also believe that the COVID-19 vaccines should be just as effective against this newer variant.
But what has caught scientists’ attention is its steady rise in wastewater surveillance data and hospital admissions, suggesting the terrifying idea that we might ever have to go back to those ‘lockdown’ days.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified XFG.3 as a ‘variant under monitoring’- not an immediate threat. But it is not something to dismiss either.
As ‘Stratus’ drifts quietly across continents, it serves as a reminder to us that the story of COVID-19 is not concluding any time soon. And for now, maybe we all will have to learn to move forward in a world where COVID-19 is a constant presence.
