New Covid strain: symptoms that are easily missed as variant spreading fast

New Covid strain: symptoms that are easily missed as variant spreading fast

A new Covid variant is giving people symptoms that could be easily missed as it rapidly spreads through the population.

Medical experts in Ireland documented 425 fresh infections during the first week of September, with the Stratus variant (alternatively known as XFG) believed to be responsible for the overwhelming majority of new cases. The strain is said to be spreading among the population with unusual early warning signs.

The variant is surging at an alarming rate, now representing 76.1 per cent of documented infections compared to merely 49.3 per cent six weeks earlier, Ireland's Health Protection Surveillance Centre confirmed.

According to the World Health Organisation, Stratus is classified as a "varia