As the federal government shutdown enters its 12th day on Sunday, the Trump administration has implemented a comprehensive purge of the federal public health workforce, laying off thousands of employees at the Department of Health and Human Services, including at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cuts have dismantled critical programs in family planning, LGBTQ+ and adolescent health, and infectious disease surveillance, leaving experts warning that the United States is entering the viral respiratory infection season flying blind.
Stratus doesn't necessarily cause more severe illness than the variants we've seen before, and the symptoms are broadly similar-cough, fever, fatigue, and so on. There are some reports of "razor-blade throat," although that kind of extreme sore throat was seen with prior variants as well. But, by their nature, variants that arise are more transmissible; they've outcompeted other variants. From that perspective, they should be on our radar.