Germany: A new Covid-19 variant, identified as XEC, has been reported in 27 countries, causing heightened concern among health experts and governments globally. The XEC variant, a hybrid of the earlier Omicron subvariants KS.1.1 and KP.3.3, was first detected in Germany in June 2024 and has since spread rapidly across Europe, North America, and Asia.
Countries including the UK, US, Denmark, Poland, Norway, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Portugal, and China have confirmed cases of the XEC variant. To date, over 500 samples containing the XEC variant have been identified worldwide.
Health experts have noted that the XEC variant exhibits a higher transmissibility compared to previous strains, potentially due to a slight transmission advantage. Professor Francois Balloux, Director of the Genetics Institute at University College London, stated that while the variant shows an increased transmission rate, existing vaccines are expected to provide robust protection against severe illness.
Symptoms associated with the XEC variant are consistent with those of earlier Covid-19 strains, including fever, sore throat, cough, loss of sense of smell, loss of appetite, and body aches. Despite the variant’s increased transmissibility, experts emphasize the continued importance of vaccination and booster shots in mitigating severe cases and reducing hospitalizations.
Eric Topol, Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California, commented that the XEC variant is “just getting started” and might take several weeks to months before it triggers a significant wave. He also suggested that the variant could become the dominant strain during the upcoming winter months.
