In a special "Stratus": a new subspecies of "Omicron" is easily confused with acute respiratory viral infections and allergies

The new strain of coronavirus "Stratus" is spreading in Russia, most of the detected cases are in Moscow. It is highly contagious, but has a mild course — it can be confused with acute respiratory viral infections or seasonal allergies. A characteristic feature of this variant is the hoarseness of the voice. How to distinguish the virus from the reaction to flowering and whether the new subspecies is dangerous is in the Izvestia article.

Strain "Stratus"

The new subspecies of coronavirus "Stratus" is highly contagious, but it does not cause a more severe course of the disease compared to previous strains, said Kamil Khafizov, head of the Laboratory of genomic Research at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor. According to him, "Stratus" (XFG, Stratus) is a recombinant subvariant resulting from the merger of the subspecies LF.7 and LP.8.1.2. His characteristic feature is the hoarseness of his voice.

Photo: Global Look Press/Alicia Windzio

According to the symptoms, the virus is similar to acute respiratory viral infections or seasonal allergies, said Andrey Prodeus, chief pediatric allergist and immunologist at the Ministry of Health of the Moscow Region.

— Nasal congestion, malaise, runny nose, sore throat, redness of the eyes fit both a viral infection and a respiratory allergy. This often happens in spring, when the birch is in bloom, and in the second half of summer, when the grasses are in bloom. With mild allergies and acute respiratory viral infections, the temperature often does not occur or it is very low. The new Omicron subspecies has not shown serious symptoms, so no special measures need to be taken," he told Izvestia.

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The new strain is spreading rapidly in different countries, Kamil Khafizov added.

In particular, it is actively spreading in the UK, according to data from the British health agency. In early June, the share of XFG variants increased.3 and XFG accounted for about 40% of all COVID-19 infections at the end of June. Back in May, the share was about 10%.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Andrey Erstrem

Currently, 114 cases of XFG have been identified in Russia. The largest part is in Moscow — 54%. Samples were also taken from such regions as the Magadan Region, Altai Territory, Moscow Region, Vologda Region, Kaliningrad Region, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk Region, Smolensk Region, Chelyabinsk Region, Yamalo-Nenets Administrative District, Sverdlovsk Region, Altai Republic, Irkutsk Region, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. The first case of the disease in the Russian Federation was detected on April 24, Rospotrebnadzor reported.

"Today, the risk to public health is considered low,— Kamil Hafizov said.

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The similarity of symptoms of a cold and an allergic reaction often causes confusion. In addition, allergies are a chronic inflammation, and infection can provoke it, then the symptoms overlap, Mikhail Bolkov, a researcher at the Institute for the Study of Aging at the Russian State Scientific and Clinical Center of the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University of the Russian Ministry of Health, explained to Izvestia.

— The nature of the discomfort in the throat is different for infections and allergies. In the second case, the nasopharynx may itch, but this is not very similar to the tickling of ARVI. Also, a sign of a cold may be the development of the disease in an uncharacteristic period and in response to an irritant that had not previously caused it. Another sign of infection may be a lack of relief after taking an antihistamine," he told Izvestia.

Photo: Global Look Press/Alicia Windzio

Most people have already had COVID-19, so they still have some kind of immunity to the virus. Therefore, no additional protective measures need to be taken, Mikhail Bolkov emphasized.

— The World Health Organization classifies Stratus as a "monitored variant" due to its rapid spread, but at the moment it does not consider it a global threat and assesses the threat potential as low. Nevertheless, due to the similarity of symptoms, Stratus is easily confused with ordinary acute respiratory viral infections, so testing for COVID-19 is recommended for an accurate diagnosis," said Albert Rizvanov, head of the Center for Excellence "Personalized Medicine" at Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan.

The probability of developing a new wave of infections from this subspecies is extremely low, Andrei Prodeus added.