Covid cases are surging in Texas as the new Stratus variant spreads across the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that variant XFG, known as Stratus, now makes up three-fourths of U.S. Covid cases. First identified in January, it is a highly contagious offshoot of the Omicron variant.
Texas is being hit especially hard. Nearly 18% of tests reported to the CDC from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Louisiana were positive. A state-by-state breakdown was not released, but the nationwide positivity rate stands at 11.2%. Officials note that the real number of cases is likely higher because many people test at home and do not report results.
Symptoms of Stratus include congestion, cough, fever, runny nose, fatigue, and muscle aches, similar to previous strains. In June, the World Health Organization said it was monitoring the variant but found no evidence it posed greater public health risk than others.
The Stratus variant recently overtook another strain, Nimbus, which became widely known as “razor blade throat” due to the severe pain it causes. Patients have compared it to swallowing razor blades or shards of glass. Nimbus still circulates, accounting for 14% of cases, according to CDC data.
The rise in cases coincides with confusion about vaccine eligibility this fall. In May, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, a decision questioned by public health experts.
The Food and Drug Administration updated its requirements, stating that the vaccine would be available to adults 65 and older, as well as children and younger adults with at least one underlying health condition that raises their risk. Last month, regulators approved new shots from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax for all seniors, but limited eligibility for younger adults and children to those with high-risk conditions such as asthma or obesity.
The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to recommend Covid shots for all healthy children from 6 months of age. Until this year, U.S. policy followed CDC advisers’ guidance to vaccinate everyone age 6 months and older annually. However, Kennedy dismissed all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices earlier this year, and their replacements have not issued new recommendations.
The World Health Organization says current Covid vaccines remain effective against both the Stratus and Nimbus variants.
