The Health Ministry reports six cases in Israel of the new COVID-19 variant XFG, nicknamed “Stratus.”
The strain, first identified in Southeast Asia in January, is spreading in the United States and across Europe, where it has become the third most common variant this summer.
In Israel, the infection rate is currently low. Symptoms are similar to other recent COVID strains, including fever, cough, sore throat and fatigue.
The World Health Organization says that current COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective against this new variant.
“In the big picture of public health, this COVID variant is not something to be concerned about,” says Prof. Eyal Leshem, director of the travel medicine and tropical diseases center at Sheba Medical Center.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 11, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
