Health officials are issuing fresh warnings after doctors revealed **strange, previously unseen symptoms tied to two new Covid-19 variants** — ominously nicknamed **“Stratus” and “Nimbus.”** According to The New York Times, both strains have spread rapidly across several U.S. states, with cases doubling in the past two weeks. What has alarmed doctors most is not just their transmissibility, but the unusual set of symptoms emerging in patients that set them apart from earlier Covid waves.
Unlike classic Covid symptoms such as fever, cough, and loss of smell, patients infected with Stratus or Nimbus have reported **burning skin sensations, sudden dizziness, and prolonged eye pain**. As Reuters confirmed, doctors are also seeing cases of what they call “phantom smells,” where patients report strong odors of smoke or chemicals that aren’t present. In some individuals, these symptoms have lingered weeks after initial infection.
BREAKING: Doctors say new Covid variants “Stratus” and “Nimbus” are producing bizarre symptoms like burning skin, dizziness, and phantom smells. — @nytimes
Emergency rooms in Texas, Florida, and California have reported spikes in unusual neurological complaints. As CNN detailed, doctors say that roughly 30% of Stratus cases involve intense headaches resistant to standard painkillers, while Nimbus has been linked to rare episodes of temporary vision loss lasting minutes at a time. “We are seeing patterns we have never documented in previous Covid strains,” said Dr. Emily Hargrove, an infectious disease specialist in Houston.
Public reaction has been immediate and uneasy. On social media, hashtags like **#StratusVariant** and **#NimbusCovid** have exploded, with users sharing first-hand accounts of strange symptoms. The Washington Post reported that some patients compared the burning skin sensation to “standing too close to a fire,” while others described Nimbus as leaving them “feeling drunk without drinking.”
Patients describe Stratus symptoms as “skin on fire” while Nimbus causes dizziness and eye pain. — @CNN
Despite the unsettling nature of the symptoms, health officials stress that vaccines remain effective at reducing severe outcomes. The CDC told BBC News that while Stratus and Nimbus appear to spread faster than recent Omicron offshoots, hospitalization rates are still lower than during the pandemic’s peak years. However, they warn that unusual neurological and sensory symptoms could lead to longer recovery times and an increase in long Covid cases.
Doctors are now urging the public to be vigilant. As The Los Angeles Times explained, individuals who experience burning sensations on their skin, unexplained dizziness, or phantom smells should seek testing immediately, even if they don’t exhibit traditional symptoms. Researchers are racing to understand whether these variants target different parts of the nervous system compared to previous strains.
CDC urges testing for anyone with “phantom smells” or burning skin — unusual new Covid symptoms. — @latimes
Some specialists believe environmental factors could be amplifying the symptoms. Al Jazeera reported that early clusters of Stratus appeared in wildfire-prone regions, raising speculation that smoke exposure may worsen the neurological effects. Nimbus, meanwhile, has been identified in colder, wetter regions, where seasonal viruses complicate diagnosis.
For survivors of earlier Covid waves, the new warnings have stirred painful memories. Patient support groups told Rolling Stone that reports of bizarre neurological effects mirror the long Covid cases that left many disabled for years. Advocates fear that without greater public awareness, Stratus and Nimbus could create a new generation of patients struggling with chronic illness.
As of now, scientists say much remains unknown about the exact biology of the variants. But one fact is clear: the landscape of Covid continues to evolve, and Stratus and Nimbus are stark reminders that the virus still has the capacity to surprise. Doctors are calling this a “critical inflection point” — a moment when vigilance, updated vaccines, and rapid research could mean the difference between containment and another surge of widespread suffering.