Hospital admissions relating to a COVID strain have risen by almost 50 per cent in a week in England as XFG, also known as Stratus and nicknamed American Covid, spreads. In London, admissions rose by 80 per cent in one week, adding pressure just as winter approaches.
Dr Renée Hoenderkamp said patients now complain of sore throats, headaches, runny noses and fatigue. “In the past 10 days to three weeks in general practice my lists have definitely changed to people with these symptoms,” she said, and added: “It’s very flu‑like, actually, which is probably the fairest way to describe it.”
England and London admissions
The XFG subvariant was first identified in January 2025, and it has become the dominant strain in the UK. The rise in hospital admissions in England and London is the clearest sign yet that the variant is circulating widely enough to affect care, not just community testing.
Seven registered deaths involving Covid were recorded in England in a week. That sits alongside the hospital figures rather than replacing them: the current pattern is producing more admissions, while still leaving most infections outside hospital care.
Professor Emma Wall on risk
Professor Emma Wall said: “For most people, infection going round is harmless, and may actually boost immunity. But there are clinically vulnerable adults who are at risk, and there are also people who will either get Long Covid or experience a relapse.”
That leaves two groups reading the same infection trend differently. People who feel well enough may see a short illness, while clinically vulnerable adults need to treat the spread as a wider risk rather than a routine seasonal nuisance.
NHS advice for positive tests
The NHS says people with Covid symptoms should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if they have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work, school, childcare, or do normal activities. People can go back to normal activities when they feel better or do not have a high temperature.
If a test is positive, the NHS says people under 18 or their child should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for three days after the test date. People aged 18 or over should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days after the test date, and everyone should avoid meeting people who are more likely to get seriously ill from infections for 10 days after the day they took their test.
For families, the practical line is now symptoms first, then test results, then timing. Mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat or mild cough do not automatically mean isolation for a child who feels well enough to go to school or childcare, but a positive test still starts the three-day or five-day stay-at-home period.
