Covid cases skyrocket: 'Super-contagious Frankenstein variant'

A new Covid variant called "Stratus" has become dominant in the UK, with experts warning it could trigger a new wave of infections.Stratus is thought to be more contagious than previous Covid variants because of mutations that allow it to evade the immune system more easily.

According to data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Stratus has now become the dominant Covid variant in the UK. While it accounted for around 10 percent of all Covid cases in May, this rate rose to 40 percent in mid-June.

Stratus is a subtype of the already highly contagious Omicron variant, also called “Frankenstein” or “recombinant.” The term refers to when a person is infected with two different Covid variants at the same time, and they combine to create a new hybrid variant.

‘VARIANTS UNDER WATCH’ The rise in Stratus cases comes just a week after the World Health Organization (WHO) gave the variant “under watch” status. This status calls on health authorities to track its spread in different countries, indicating that it has potential public health implications.

ON THE RISE IN GLOBAL COVID CASES While the WHO assessed the overall risk of Stratus as “low,” current data showed that this variant has a significant growth advantage over others. Stratus currently accounts for 22 percent of global Covid cases. Meanwhile, another new Covid variant called Nimbus, which is thought to create a new wave of infections, has also been on the rise rapidly in recent weeks. While the Nimbus case rate was only 2 percent in April, this rate rose to 17 percent in June.