Covid hospital admissions jump 50% in a week as XFG 'American Covid' strain spreads

Covid hospital admissions in England have risen by almost 50% in a single week, according to new figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The increase was even sharper in London, where Covid-related hospital admissions jumped by almost 80% in seven days, and the share of hospital Covid tests coming back positive rose from 5.9% to 7%, Edinburgh Live reports.

The dominant strain in the UK is now XFG, also known as Stratus and nicknamed “American Covid” after spreading rapidly across the United States last summer. First identified in January 2025, it has since spread around the world.

GP Dr Renée Hoenderkamp told the Daily Mail she was seeing patients complain of sore throats, headaches, runny noses and fatigue. “It’s very flu-like, actually, which is probably the fairest way to describe it,” she said. “In the past 10 days to three weeks in general practice my lists have definitely changed to people with these symptoms.”

Dr Matthew Siggins, lecturer in immunity and infection biology at the University of Surrey, said the rise was “not unexpected at this time of year” and admissions were “still classified as a baseline level”.

Professor Emma Wall, clinical professor of infectious diseases at Queen Mary University of London, cautioned: “For most people, infection going round is harmless… 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.”

The latest UKHSA data also shows seven registered deaths involving Covid in England in a week.