All You Need To Know Going Into Trade On Thursday

Known officially as XFG, the variant was first detected in Southeast Asia back in January. For months, it flew under the radar in the States, barely any reported cases. However, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detailed XFG accounted for 14% of all U.S. cases by late June, making it the third most common variant in circulation.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has added XFG to its monitoring list but describes the variant’s global public health risk as “low.” The good news: WHO says that current COVID-19 vaccines are still “expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe disease.”

XFG is a recombinant strain, meaning it’s a blend of two earlier variants: F.7 and LP.8.1.2 (the latter is now the second most common strain in the U.S.).