Should we be worried about the current COVID-19 variants?

https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2026/10/08/should-we-be-worried-about-the-current-covid-19-variants-2/ Rates of COVID-19 continue to fluctuate throughout the year, and people have asked how the most common current lineages - or groups of genetically similar viruses - compare to previous COVID-19 variants. What is ‘American Covid’? XFG - sometimes referred to in the media as the Stratus variant - remains the most common current COVID-19 variant. XFG has also been referred to as ‘American Covid’ in some media coverage, though it is not new and has been circulating in the UK and other countries for around a year. The name reflects where the strain was first sequenced and detected, rather than necessarily where it originated. What have we seen so far this season? UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data shows that COVID-19 positive test rates rose to around 7% in September, with hospital admission rates increasing by approximately 50% over the same period. These increases have been observed consistently across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as across Europe and the United States, indicating this is not a localised trend. Current data does not indicate that these variant...