A new Covid variant nicknamed Stratus has become the dominant strain spreading in the UK. Also known as XFG, it was first detected in late January and is one of seven variants being closely monitored by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Dr Kaywaan Khan, a Harley Street GP, said symptoms vary from person to person and tend to be mild to moderate. He added: “One of the most noticeable symptoms of the Stratus variant is hoarseness, which includes a scratchy or raspy voice. Regardless of whether the symptoms mimic a cold or flu, testing continues to be the critical step in eliminating the possibility of a coronavirus infection.”

Hoarseness is said to be a particular symptom of the new variant (Image: Getty)

Many new variants of Covid have emerged over the years, becoming dominant if they are better able to spread and evade immunity.

Data from the UK Health Security shows XFG and its sub-lineages are now the most prevalent in England.

Dr Khan, founder of the Hannah London Clinic, told Cosmopolitan that Stratus had certain mutations in the spike protein which could help it escape immunity generated by previous infections or vaccines.

But he added: “Despite this, it is important to mention that Stratus seems to be no worse than earlier Omicron variants in terms of illness, hospitalisations, or deaths.”

Hospital admissions for Covid remain at historically low levels in the UK and have fallen in the last two weeks.

The WHO said the public health risk posed by XFG was “low at the global level.

The organisation’s latest assessment said some countries in the WHO’s South-East Asia Region “have reported a simultaneous rise in new cases and hospitalisations, where XFG has been widely detected”.

However, it added: “Current data do not indicate that this variant leads to more severe illness or deaths than other variants in circulation.”