10/09/2026
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.
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.
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.