New Covid-XEC variant begins to spread in Europe – what we know about signs and symptoms
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Scientists warn that a “more contagious” variant of the Covid virus called XEC is spreading faster and faster in Europe and could soon become the dominant variant.
“At this point, the XEC variant appears to be the one that will take hold next,” Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, said in a post on X on Sunday.
Researchers predicted in August that it could take several weeks to months for this variant to gain a foothold and spread more quickly.
“XEC is definitely taking the lead,” said Dr. Topol.
XEC, a sub-lineage of the omicron variant, was first reported in Berlin, Germany, in June and is now spreading “quite rapidly” across Europe, North America and Asia, according to Covid data analyst Mike Honey.
Slovenia had high infection rates with this variant in August, with over 10 percent of Covid case samples from the country containing XEC.
It is a hybrid of previously discovered omicron subvariants – KS.1.1 and KP.3.3 – of the novel coronavirus that causes Covid.
The recombinant variant XEC continues to spread and is the likely next challenger to the currently predominant DeFLuQE variants (KP.3.1.1.*).
Here are the leading countries reporting XEC. Strong growth in Denmark and Germany (16-17%), as well as in the UK and the Netherlands (11-13%).
🧵 pic.twitter.com/rLReeM9wF8— Mike Honey (@Mike_Honey_) 15 September 2024
KS.1.1 is a type of what is commonly referred to as a FLiRT variant.
The disease is characterized by mutations in the building block molecules phenylalanine (F), which is changed to leucine (L), and arginine (R) to threonine (T), on the spike protein with which the virus attaches itself to human cells.
The second omicron subvariant KP.3.3 belongs to the FLuQE category, in which the amino acid glutamine (Q) on the spike protein is mutated to glutamic acid (E), making its binding to human cells more effective.
To date, XEC has been found in over 500 samples from 27 countries, including Poland, Norway, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Portugal and China.
Analysts point to strong growth of the variant in Denmark, Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands.
As the novel coronavirus continues to evolve, data suggests that XEC is growing steadily every day and has an advantage over previously known subvariants.
Symptoms are similar to those of previous Covid variants and include fever, sore throat, cough, loss of smell, loss of appetite and body aches.
But since it is still only a subfamily of the same omicron lineage, experts say current vaccinations and booster shots would provide sufficient protection against severe disease and hospitalization.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention also advise people to practice good hygiene and ensure cleaner air.
Researchers called for closer monitoring of the XEC variant to better understand its symptoms.
