New Covid variant XEC: 5 key things to know about this rapidly spreading virus

Coronavirus appears to be rising again with a fresh and more contagious variant  often is known as XEC, which is  spreading unexpectedly across 15 countries. First detected in Germany in June, XEC is a mixture of the KS.1.1 and KP.three.three variants. In step with reports, it has already overtaken the previously dominant FliRT strain of the deadly virus.

5 Key things to understand about new Coronavirus strain

1. The tension, belonging to the Omicron variant, is currently spreading “reasonably unexpectedly” across Europe, North The u.s. and Asia.
2. As per experts, XEC comes with some new mutations which may lend a hand it spread this autumn. Nonetheless, vaccines may lend a hand prevent severe cases.
3. The tension reportedly causes symptoms which could possibly be identical to those experienced with common illnesses just like influenza and colds.
4. While nearly all people will improve within some weeks, for some it is some distance in a position to take longer to improve and various may additionally require hospitalisation.
5. In step with the UK NHS, the variant causes flu-like symptoms which includes a hot temperature or shivering (chills), a fresh, continuous cough, a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste, shortness of breath, fatigue, body ache, lack of appetite, among others.

About 550 samples have now been reported, from 27 countries, including Poland, Norway, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Portugal, the United States and China have now reported samples.

“At this juncture, the XEC variant appears to be the almost definitely one to get legs next,” Eric Topol, Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California, US, said in a most modern post on X.

In a post on X, a Melbourne-based data expert Mike Honey stated that XEC strain is “a likely next challenger to the currently dominant variants”.

Honey noted that XEC has already charged beforehand of alternative variants like the FLiRT, FLuQU and DEFLuQE strains.