New Covid XEC variant starting to spread in Europe – what we know
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Experts have cautioned that a "highly contagious" variant of the Covid virus, known as XEC, is beginning to spread quickly throughout Europe and may soon take over as the main strain.
"Currently, the XEC variant seems to be the strongest candidate to gain traction next," stated Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, in a post on X this past Sunday.
In August, scientists anticipated that this variant might begin to gain momentum and spread more quickly within a timeframe of several weeks to a couple of months.
"XEC is clearly stepping into a leadership role," remarked Dr. Topol.
According to Covid data analyst Mike Honey, XEC, which is a sublineage of the omicron variant, was initially identified in Berlin, Germany, in June. It is now rapidly spreading throughout Europe, North America, and Asia.
In August, Slovenia experienced a significant prevalence of this variant, with more than 10 percent of Covid samples tested in the country showing the presence of XEC.
It is a combination of earlier identified omicron subvariants, KS.1.1 and KP.3.3, of the new coronavirus responsible for Covid.
The recombinant variant XEC is still on the rise and appears to be the next potential competitor to the currently prevailing DeFLuQE variants (KP.3.1.1.*).
Here are the top countries seeing an increase in XEC. Denmark and Germany are experiencing significant growth at 16-17%, followed closely by the UK and the Netherlands, which are growing at rates of 11-13%. ???? pic.twitter.com/rLReeM9wF8
KS.1.1 is a kind of variant that is often referred to as a FLiRT variant.
It is marked by changes in the basic molecules, where phenylalanine (F) is switched to leucine (L), and arginine (R) is replaced by threonine (T) in the spike protein. This spike protein is what the virus uses to bind to human cells.
The second omicron subvariant, KP.3.3, is part of the FLuQE group. In this variant, there is a change in the amino acid from glutamine (Q) to glutamic acid (E) on the spike protein. This alteration enhances its ability to attach to human cells more effectively.
To date, more than 500 samples from 27 different countries, such as Poland, Norway, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Portugal, and China, have been discovered to have XEC present.
Experts highlight significant growth of the variant in Denmark, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands.
As the novel coronavirus keeps changing, information indicates that XEC is gradually increasing every day and has a benefit over earlier identified subvariants.
The signs of this variant resemble those of earlier Covid strains, featuring symptoms such as fever, a sore throat, coughing, a decreased sense of smell, lack of appetite, and general body pain.
However, since it remains a branch of the same omicron family, experts suggest that staying current with vaccines and booster shots will provide adequate protection against serious illness and the need for hospitalization.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that individuals maintain proper hygiene and make efforts to ensure better air quality.
Scientists are urging for closer observation of the XEC variant to gain a deeper understanding of its symptoms.
