A new strain of Covid, with an apparently telltale symptom, has reached the UK, and already accounts for a high proportion of new recorded cases in England. The arrival of the Stratus strain comes as levels of coronavirus infection reach their highest point so far this year, according to UK Health Service Agency data .

What is the Stratus strain?

This new Covid strain, a sub-variant of Omicron, is officially known as XFG, along with its own variant XFG.3, but has been nicknamed Stratus. It can trigger all the usual symptoms of Covid infection, including a cough, fever, sore throat and a change of taste and smell, but it has been, anecdotally, singled out for causing a particularly razor-blade-like sore throat.

Despite Stratus now accounting for a majority of new Covid cases in UK, hea

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