A new COVID-19 variant, ‘XEC’, has spread across 27 countries, including France and the United States, infecting more than 600 people.
XEC, the latest in a long list of past and current COVID variants being monitored as the COVID-19 virus naturally evolves, was identified in Germany, in June and more cases of the variant have since emerged in the UK, the US, Denmark, and several other countries.
Health experts say the XEC variants are a product of recombination between two hybrids of previously discovered omicron sub-variants – KS.1.1 and KP.3.3. These two parent variants are closely related, having both evolved from JN.1, which was the dominant variant around the world at the start of 2024.
Compared to other strains, XEC is said to have a higher growth advantage, spreading much more rapidly than the others.
According to scientists, XEC has some new mutations that might help it spread this autumn, although vaccines should still help prevent severe cases.
They noted that the variant appears to spread more easily than previous types of COVID-19 but cases of the infection have not been as severe as those seen during the peak years of the pandemic.
Health experts have described the strain as a recombinant variant. Recombinants can occur naturally when a person is simultaneously infected with two COVID-19.
Researchers detect XEC cases through the Gisaid public database, where viral genetic sequences are submitted for examination. This platform identifies mutations in SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.
Currently, the US has reported 118 XEC cases, the highest globally. Germany has 92 XEC cases, the UK has 82, Canada has 77, and Denmark has 61 cases according to media reports but actual figures are likely to be higher in nations that do not regularly sequence COVID samples.
In Europe and North America, the dominant variant is KP.3.1.1, while Asia is primarily affected by the closely related KP.3.3 variant.
XEC has not been reported from any African country, but experts suggest that the strain is likely to become the dominant variant globally in the next few months.
