(Atlanta, GA) — A new COVID-19 variant is spiking in nine states. The CDC says cases involving the XFG variant, also known as Stratus, are up in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Vermont, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota. The World Health Organization says Stratus can mutate and attack the immune system more virulently than the Nimbus variant. COVID-19 researchers at New York’s Stony Brook University say most cases are mild in people who are vaccinated. But SUNY scientists say people who are unvaccinated can experience brain fog, nausea, chest tightness, and scratchy throat in addition to the usual fatigue, fever and dry cough associated with COVID.
