Geneva - Saba:
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing emerging variants that are expected to become more widespread this summer, with the number of major variants doubling within two weeks.
In a statement, the WHO noted: "Following the variant (NB.1.8.1), which experts on social media dubbed 'Nimbus,' attention quickly shifted to (XFG). The organization recently classified XFG as a SARS-CoV-2 variant under monitoring due to its global spread and rapid growth."
The WHO, in collaboration with the Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE), has already issued its initial risk assessment, currently rating the global risk as "low."
On a social note, variant researchers and experts, who have long kept XFG under close watch, have informally named it "Stratos"—a reference to its "atmospheric character," as explained by those promoting the unofficial moniker.
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