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A new Covid variant has been reported across the globe with fears it will soon be the dominant strain of the illness.
Cases of the XEC variant, first detected in Germany in June, have since been reported in the UK, US, Denmark and other countries. Experts say the strain is now “taking charge” and will likely continue to spread globally.
The strain has been detected in at least 15 countries and 12 US states, according to Scripps Research’s Outbreak.info page which tracks data from the global initiative on sharing all influenza data (GISAID).
But Covid data analyst Mike Honey has said that the new strain is now present in hundreds of patients across 27 countries in Europe, North America and Asia. He said there has been particularly “strong growth” of XEC in Denmark and Germany.
The 15 confirmed countries are Slovenia, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Taiwan, France, Israel, Italy, Sweden, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, Spain and the United States.
XEC’s prevalence is lower in the US and Canada and reached a high of 5.96% in European cases on 19 August. Slovenia had high rates of infection with the variant in August with over 10 per cent of samples from the country containing XEC.
The strain, a combination of the KS.1.1 and KP.3.3 variants, presents symptoms similar to those of other Covid variants including tiredness, headaches, a sore throat and high temperatures. However, researchers have called for monitoring the XEC variant more closely to better understand its symptoms.
Prof Francois Balloux, Director of the Genetics Institute at University College London told the BBC that the XEC variant is more contagious but that vaccines should still offer good protection as it is from the Omicron family. He says it is possible XEC will become the dominant subvariant over the winter though.
The UK’s latest Covid data show there is a 4.3 percent rise in Covid cases week-on-week with 1,465 hospital Covid admissions up until August 30, but data does not distinguish between different strain types. The NHS offers a free booster shot for those more likely to become seriously ill from Covid.
“At this juncture, the XEC variant appears to be the most likely one to get legs next”, Scripps Research Translational Institute Director Eric Topol wrote on X.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it is normal for viruses to mutate and change.
