The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently announced a new COVID-19 variant "XE" and it could possibly be the most transmissible strain of COVID ever seen.
XE is a recombinant strain that is a cross between two prior Omicron variations, BA.1 (the original Omicron) and BA.2 (the newer Omicron).
Scientists are keeping a close check on the mutation, which was identified on Jan. 19, to see how it evolves, according to Wales Online.
But the UK Health Security Agency (via Daily Record) claims that there is presently inadequate information to draw judgments about how contagious the strain is.
LANDOVER, MARYLAND - MARCH 30: Healthcare professionals prepare to screen people for the coronavirus at a testing site erected by the Maryland National Guard in a parking lot at FedEx Field March 30, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. The guard, in cooperation with the state of Maryland and Prince Georges County, said the site will be able to test about 100 people a day for COVID-19 if they have been recommended by a doctor.
WHO Says Omicron 'XE' Could Be The Most Transmissible Variant
According to Express UK, the new Omicron XE variation is 10% more contagious than the BA.2 sub-strain. It is concerning because the BA.2 form is the most infectious COVID-19 virus.
Infected instances involving XE are relatively uncommon at this time. However, the mutated coronavirus may result in more illnesses in the near future, according to WHO.
"The XE recombinant was first detected in the United Kingdom on 19 January and >600 sequences have been reported and confirmed since," reads the WHO document.
At this time, WHO is still keeping an eye on Omicron XE instances because it is still too soon to conclude how contagious it is. The organization collaborates with other medical professionals to understand more about the novel COVID-19 mutant strain.
Recombinant Variants Explained: How Concerning Are These?
South China Morning Post said UKHSA is keeping an eye on three recombinant lineages - XD, XE, and XF.
The XD is a cross between Delta and BA.1, and is a sublineage of the Omicron variety found mostly in France, Denmark, and Belgium. XD was discovered for the first time in December, and by March 22 there had been 49 examples found in France, Denmark, and Belgium.
The XE is a recombinant of two Omicron sublineages, BA.1 and BA.2, but it has three mutations not found in their parent genomes. It has only been discovered in the United Kingdom.
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Because of its proliferation across numerous nations and the addition of Delta, a variety that produces more severe clinical effects, virologist Tom Peacock of Imperial College London said this was the recombinant to watch.
The HSA has recognized 637 XE cases in the UK by March 22. These were geographically dispersed across England and growing in number, showing that the community had spread.
The agency analyzed genomic samples of the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron, the most common variant in the United Kingdom, and discovered that XE was 9.8% more transmissible.
The FDA warned that the data might be skewed in the early phases, and that the growth rate would eventually converge on an estimate of its intrinsic transmissibility.
Professor Susan Hopkins, the government's main medical adviser, said XE's growth rate was varied, but the agency couldn't say if it had a real growth edge.
Only 39 XF hybrid variant sequences have been discovered so far, and they are all from the United Kingdom.
The first instance was discovered on Jan. 7 and no samples have been discovered since Feb. 14. The agency concluded that XF was unlikely to be linked to long-term community growth.
Omicron BA.2 Still Most Dominant Variant in the US
Because the new Omicron XE has yet to infect many patients throughout the world, BA.2 remains the most prevalent strain in the United States.
According to Fortune, Omicron's infectious sub-variant is 60 percent more transmittable than BA.1 (the original strain of Omicron).
On March 31, the World Health Organization said that BA.2 currently accounts for 86 percent of newly reported COVID-19 infections in the United States.
This Omicron sub-strain is also known as the COVID-19 "Stealth Variant" because of its high infectivity.
Hopefully, the new XE will not succumb to the BA.2 infection pattern. The greatest thing you can do right now is follow the authorities' COVID-19 safety procedures to avoid becoming infected.
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