Covid alarm in Albania, doctors: Emergency rooms are overcrowding!

“For a week, I’ve had flu-like symptoms, but while I was waiting to get better, on the third day I worsened to the point of difficulty breathing, which made me think I had Covid, not the flu. My 2-year-old son got the virus first, then my husband, and now me. I’ve had a 40°C fever for three days and had to receive IV fluids,” says Sonila, 34, from Tirana, in an interview with Gazetasi.al.

She explains that she hasn’t taken any tests and had intended to treat the virus at home, but the lack of therapy and medical consultation worsened her condition.

COVID-19 continues to evolve, and its variants are changing as well. The XFG variant, more commonly known as Stratus, is the latest mutation of the COVID-19 virus, which has been spreading rapidly across the country for several weeks.

Cases are appearing in all age groups, causing hospital emergency departments to become overcrowded.

General practitioners at health centers have been dealing with a surge of patients presenting with flu-like symptoms for weeks, but it is not the flu, as the official season does not start until November.

The Stratus variant has affected nearly all age groups, from children to the elderly, severely impacting the latter due to high fevers and lung involvement.

Stratus is a newer form of COVID-19 first identified in January 2025 in Southeast Asia. By June, the variant had spread to 38 countries, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to classify Stratus as a “SARS-CoV-2 variant under monitoring.”

“WHO is closely monitoring this variant to better understand its behavior and its implications for public health,” say public health experts.

According to them, many symptoms of the Stratus 2025 mutation are similar to previous COVID-19 versions.

Most common symptoms include:

Persistent dry cough

Fatigue

Fever

Other possible symptoms:

Shortness of breath

Chest tightness

Headache and body aches

Nausea or loss of appetite

How Stratus differs from other COVID variants like Nimbus

In the U.S., COVID-19 cases have been rising throughout the summer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). News reports have linked the two latest variants, Nimbus (NB.1.8.1) and Stratus, as causes.

Nimbus is highly infectious due to its strong ability to bind to human cells and is sometimes associated with severe sore throat.

Stratus exhibits “additional immune evasion” compared to Nimbus, according to the WHO. This means the latest variant has developed a slightly better ability to avoid recognition and attack by the immune system.

This can make it harder for the body to fight the virus, especially for those who are unvaccinated or have not been previously infected.

Doctors recommend that if you contract COVID Stratus, isolating for at least five days after symptom onset is important to protect those around you.

While most people with COVID-19 can safely recover at home, there are cases where seeking medical care is crucial.

According to doctors, you should go to the emergency room if you experience chest pain, persistent tightness that does not go away, dizziness, confusion, difficulty staying awake, signs of severe dehydration, or severe or worsening difficulty breathing.

“KORÇA BOOM”