COVID-19 variant XFG accounted for 0% of U.S. cases in May. By late-June, it became the third-most common strain.

A new COVID variant is on the rise amid a nationwide summer surge of cases. Positive cases in Mississippi are climbing. What are the symptoms?

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.