Class is back in session for another year, and that means new stationery, pumpkin spice everything in stores, and – albeit less welcome – the spread of respiratory viruses. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Only a few months ago, we introduced you to the Nimbus variant of COVID-19 ; but, there’s yet another new variant we think you should know about. Sticking with the cloud theme, this one’s called Stratus, or more officially XFG.

As Professor of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Paul Griffin explained in a piece for The Conversation , Stratus is a recombinant variant. This means it arose when two other variants, LF.7 and LP.8.1.2, shared genetic material.

According to Gavi , Stratus was first detected in

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