According to scientists, it may take many weeks or a couple of months before XEC takes hold and starts to cause a wave
Scientists around the world are sounding alarm bells over the new COVID-19 variant – known as XEC, which has been spreading across Europe. First detected in Germany in the summer, the highly mutated coronavirus strain has now been reported in several countries, including the UK, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
According to scientists, the XEC variant can be the “next big challenge" for hospitals. “At this juncture, the XEC variant appears to be the most likely one to get legs next,” Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California, wrote on social media website X, formerly known as Twitter. Dr. Topil said it may take “many weeks, a couple of months before it really takes hold and starts to cause a wave.” He added: "XEC is definitely taking charge."
Experts say the strain is a combination of the omicron subvariants - KS.1.1 and KP.3.3. While KS.1.1 is a FLiRT variant that contributes to the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases across the world, KP.3.3 is a type of FLuQE -where the amino acid glutamine gets mutated to glutamic acid in the spike protein, making it super-efficient in binding to human cells.
Many reports published worldwide have said XEC has some new mutations which is why it is important to take vaccines and booster shots.
Scientists downplay new bug’s efficiency
According to scientists, the fresh bug even though is touted to be more contagious, is not likely to be as deadly as some of its predecessors. According to Professor Francois Balloux, Director of the Genetics Institute at University College London, “Even though XEC has a slight transmission advantage over other recent COVID-19 variants, vaccines should still offer good protection,” he told BBC News in a recent interview.
Is XEC different from FLiRT?
According to experts, the symptoms of the XEC variant are not too different from the earlier strains, which include:
- Fever
- Tiredness and fatigue
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Body aches
- Trouble sleeping
- Runny nose
- Loss of appetite
The UK Health Security Agency or UKHSA has not yet released any data on the XEC variant, it is not yet known how many people in the UK have contracted it. However, the latest figures show that COVID-19 cases in the country are rapidly increasing - by 4.3 per cent every week.
Scientists keeping a close eye on statistics
As of now, more than 500 samples from 27 countries - including Poland, Norway, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Portugal, and China, have been found to contain XEC, according to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data - an effective and trusted mechanism for rapid sharing of both published and 'unpublished' worldwide influenza data.
Even though its prevalence remains low in the US and Canada, scientists say they are keeping a close eye on its spread, especially in Europe. Experts say you should be vaccinated for the virus if you are:
- Adults aged 65 years and over
- Living in a care home for older adults
- Over the age of six months in a clinical risk group
- Some front-line NHS, care home and social care worker
Get
Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from
Health and around the world.