A biomedical science lecturer has shed light on two emerging coronavirus variants, as concerns grow over their spread and symptoms. The strain, dubbed Stratus, has two variants - XFG and XFG.3 - first spotted in January this year.

A few months ago, the World Health Organisation put XFG 'under monitoring' due to its 'increasing proportions globally'. And by September 3, the UK Health Security Agency reported a 7.1% increase in coronavirus cases across England compared with the previous week, though it's unclear how many are linked to XFG.

But what truly is the XFG virus, and how does it differ from the previous coronavirus variants we've seen over the last few years? The Mirror consulted Dr Gareth Nye at the University of Salford on this matter.

What are the Stratus coronavirus strai

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