Ahead of the festive season, a new COVID variant has started spreading in the west and has infected around 600 people in as many as 27 countries like Germany, the UK, US and Denmark. Researchers say it is "just getting started". This variant is part of the "Omicron" lineage, a more severe variant of coronavirus which peaked in 2022. XEC is a hybrid of the earlier omicron subvariants KS.1.1 and KP.3.3.
Just like previous COVID variants, XEC is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets that are suspended in the air when an infected person breathes out, talks, coughs or sneezes.
"It 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," BBC quoted Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, in California, Eric Topol as saying. "XEC is definitely taking charge. That does appear to be the next variant. But it's months off from getting into high levels," he added.
Symptoms of the COVID variant are similar to those of previous variants, including fever, sore throat, cough, loss of sense of smell, loss of appetite and body aches. The new variant of the contagious infection was first identified in Berlin two months ago.
How Dangerous Is XEC?
The World Health Organization has yet not categorised it as "the variant of interest". XEC does not appear to be different or more dangerous variant than other Omicron subvariants of COVID. COVID-19 and its variants are expected to spread more during the autumn and winter seasons. Initial studies show that existing vaccinations are sufficient to protect against the XEC variant.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US has advised that anyone aged six months and over should receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the virus. It has also advised people to practise good hygiene and take steps for cleaner air.