Srinagar, July 12: Given the number of times this has happened already, it should come as little surprise that we’re now faced with yet another new subvariant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid.
This new subvariant is known as XFG (nicknamed “Stratus”) and the World Health Organization (WHO) designated it a “variant under monitoring” in late June. XFG is a subvariant of Omicron, of which there are now more than 1,000. It is spreading rapidly across the globe. According to the World Health Organisation, XFG is one of the seven variants under monitoring. With a high transmission rate, XFG could become the next dominant variant worldwide. It is currently rapidly spreading across several countries in the South-East Asia Region.
A “variant under monitoring” signifies a variant or subvariant which needs prioritised attention and monitoring due to characteristics that may pose an additional threat compared to other circulating variants.
XFG is a recombinant strain formed from the merging of two subvariants, LF.7 and LP.8.1.2. This means it carries genetic material from both. Recombinant variants are typically labeled with an “X” at the beginning of their name.
Although recombination and spontaneous mutations are common in SARS-CoV-2, they become concerning when the resulting subvariant develops traits that make it more harmful or harder to control. A significant increase in hospitalisation has also been reported. As of June 22, a total of 1,648 XFG genome sequences from 38 countries had been reported to the global database GISAID, which monitors Covid variants.
