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A new Covid variant, dubbed 'Stratus', is spreading swiftly and presents a unique symptom that distinguishes it from other strains.

The strain, encompassing two variants XFG and XFG.3, was initially identified in January and by June the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared XFG to be 'under monitoring' due to its 'increasing proportions globally'.

On 3 September, the UK Health Security Agency reported a 7.1% rise in coronavirus cases across England compared with the previous week, although it's unclear how many have been affected by the XFG strain. Health experts in Ireland also logged 425 new infections in the first week of September, with the XFG variant believed to be behind the vast majority of new cases.

Typically, symptoms of Covid often mimic those of common resp

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