A new COVID-19 variant has reared its ugly head and is climbing the ranks in the United States.

So much so that it’s become the third-most common strain of the summer.

Variant XFG, also known as “Stratus,” was first detected in Southeast Asia back in January but accounted for very few of cases in the United States until May. But by late June, it was estimated to account for up to 14%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The World Health Organization has even added XFG to its watchlist but evaluated the additional public health risk posed by the variant as “low” at the global level in a report late June .

The organization also advised that currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are “expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe di

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