New XEC Covid Variant Spreads To 27 Countries, Here's What We Know So Far

Scientists have warned that a "more contagious" variant of Covid-19, dubbed XEC, is spreading more rapidly across Europe and could soon become the dominant strain. According to the BBC, the new variant was first identified in Germany in June, and since then, the XEC variant has emerged in the UK, US, Denmark and several other countries. Experts have said that the new variant, a sublineage of the omicron variant, has some new mutations that might help it spread this autumn, although vaccines should still help prevent severe cases. 

The XEC variant is a hybrid of the earlier omicron subvariants KS.1.1 and KP.3.3, which is currently dominant in Europe. So far, 500 samples from 27 countries, including Poland, Norway, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Portugal and China, have been found to contain XEC, The Independent reported. Experts point to strong growth of the variant in Denmark, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands.

Professor Francois Balloux, Director of the Genetics Institute at University College London, told BBC that although XEC has a "slight transmission advantage" over other recent Covid variants, vaccines should still offer good protection. But he also added that XEC may become the dominant subvariant over the winter. 

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Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, in California, Eric Topol said XEC is "just getting started". "And that's going to take many weeks, a couple months, before it really takes hold and starts to cause a wave," he said. 

"XEC is definitely taking charge. That does appear to be the next variant. But it's months off from getting into high levels," said Mr Topol. 

Symptoms of XEC Covid

The symptoms of the XEC variant are similar to those of previous Covid variants, including fever, sore throat, cough, loss of sense of smell, loss of appetite, and body aches. 

But since it is still only a sub-family of the same omicron lineage, experts say keeping up to date with vaccines and booster shots would offer sufficient protection against severe illness and hospitalisation.

Separately, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also advised people to practise good hygiene and take steps for cleaner air.

Moreover, researchers have called for monitoring the XEC more closely to better understand its symptoms.