By Fionnuala Boyle

Copyright dailyrecord

We all know when summer has come to an end – the leaves turn orange, we feel a chill in the air, and are inundated with Halloween adverts. But we also might detect the change of season when we come down with the cold. The ‘end of summer cold,’ as it is unofficially known, may seem rife at the moment. Brits might not be aware, though, that their incessant sniffing and sneezing could actually be a new Covid strain that is currently soaring in the UK. Britain is now battling a fresh ‘Frankenstein’ variant of Covid, which has rapidly emerged as the most prevalent strain across the nation. The World Health Organisation has cautioned that the XFG variant, dubbed ‘Stratus’, is set to become the dominant strain with symptoms that differ from the familiar persistent cough and exhaustion typically associated with Covid. Dr Kaywaan Khan, a Harley Street GP, told Cosmopolitan UK : “Unlike other variants, Stratus has certain mutations in the spike protein which could help it evade antibodies developed from prior infections or vaccinations. “Despite this, it is important to mention that Stratus seems to be no worse than earlier Omicron variants in terms of illness, hospitalisations, or deaths.” Dr Khan stressed that whilst Stratus doesn’t appear to make people ‘more ill’ than previous variants, it does possess a distinct symptom. “One of the most noticeable symptoms of the Stratus variant is hoarseness, which includes a scratchy or raspy voice,” he said. He added that overall, Stratus symptoms are ‘mild to moderate’. Medical experts have also issued an alert that symptoms such as a ‘razor blade’ sore throat could signal the presence of Nimbus, another subvariant of the ‘Frankenstein’ variant. Dr Michael Gregory, the regional medical director for NHS England in the North West, said: “The variant looks to be spreading rapidly within communities, with top symptoms being a ‘razor blade’ sore throat and swollen neck glands.” This newest form of Covid-19 is frequently termed a “Frankenstein variant” because of its makeup – a mixture of various virus strains, or numerous alterations – essentially a fresh blend created from fragments of earlier versions. Figures released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show that Stratus has skyrocketed to become the dominant Covid variant throughout England. Remarkably, by mid-June, it had leapt from just 10 per cent of all Covid cases in May to an alarming 40 per cent. Created as a descendant of Omicron’s extremely contagious family tree, Stratus is classified as a Frankenstein or ‘recombinant’ variant, emerging from the merger of two separate Covid strains infecting one person at the same time, which then fuse together to form a new hybrid strain. Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, told MailOnline about Stratus’s worrying spread, emphasising both its original form XFG and its offshoot XFG. 3. “The increased competitiveness of XFG and XFG.3 is likely due to new spike mutations which make these variants more able to evade the immune response,” Professor Young explained. He cautioned about weakening immunity amongst the population, partially because fewer individuals are receiving the spring booster vaccination and due to a decline in recent Covid infections. “This could lead to a new wave of infection but it’s difficult to predict the extent of this wave,” he warned. He stressed that current evidence doesn’t indicate Stratus causes more serious illness, and confirmed that vaccination continues to provide robust protection against severe consequences and hospital admissions. The newest Covid-19 variants, occasionally dubbed “Frankenstein” variants informally, generally present symptoms resembling those of previous Omicron subvariants. These usually include upper respiratory problems such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, and sneezing. Furthermore, tiredness, headache, muscle pains, and diminished appetite represent additional symptoms frequently documented. Remarkably, the previously distinctive indicator of losing smell or taste appears less prevalent with Omicron infections. It’s essential to remember that symptoms can vary considerably between individuals.