CINCINNATI (WKRC) — About one in every ten people currently taking a COVID-19 test is testing positive for the illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The infectious disease team at TriHealth has reported a slight increase in COVID-19 cases within their health systems compared to a month ago. This rise is likely due in part to the newest variant, known as XFG, or “Stratus.”
Dr. Stephen Blatt, the Medical Director of Infectious Diseases at Good Samaritan Hospital, said, “It comes on pretty quickly, so a lot of people describe a very rapid onset, suddenly they are having fever with a serious sore throat maybe respiratory congestion, so that’s not unusual.”
The end-of-summer surge is attributed to factors such as seasonal travel, children returning to classrooms, and the variant’s ability to evade antibodies from prior vaccinations and infections. Dr. Blatt noted that the handful of hospital cases due to serious complications are generally among those with immune-suppressed conditions…