A new COVID variant is on the rise amid a nationwide summer surge of cases and it's on track to become the third most common strain. What to know in Tennessee.

CDC wastewater also shows the XFG variant — nicknamed stratus — is most common in the U.S. Stratus can cause a “razor blade” sore throat and is considered a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization. The WHO said the variant is only marginally better at evading people's immune systems and vaccines still work against it.

As the new ‘stratus’ variant spreads, several US states face sharp COVID-19 spikes ahead of school reopenings.