Although COVID-19 instances and deaths proceed to fall worldwide, medical consultants and public well being businesses proceed to establish new variants of the virus. 

BA.2, a subvariant of omicron that consultants consider is extra contagious than the unique BA.1, grew to become dominant within the U.S. in late March. 

Extra lately, some individuals have expressed issues on-line a few potential new coronavirus variant referred to as XE, with one Twitter user claiming that it was present in the UK and “could possibly be probably the most transmissible variant but.” Another person said XE combines BA.1, the unique model of omicron, and omicron subvariant BA.2. 

Is there a brand new coronavirus subvariant referred to as XE?

Sure, there’s a new coronavirus subvariant referred to as XE. It combines the BA.1 and BA.2 variations of omicron.

Viruses just like the one which causes COVID-19 mutate as they replicate. Folks could be contaminated with totally different strains of a virus on the similar time and typically they mix throughout replication, Saralyn Mark, M.D., former senior medical advisor to the White Home and American Medical Girls’s Affiliation COVID-19 Lead, defined.

In its weekly epidemiological replace launched on March 29, the World Well being Group (WHO) mentioned XE is a recombinant variant, or mixture, of the BA.1 and BA.2 variations of omicron. It was first detected in the UK on Jan. 19.

The UK Well being Safety Company (UKHSA) mentioned in an replace on March 25 that 637 instances of XE had been confirmed within the nation thus far. In the course of the first week of April, greater than 333,000 individuals whole had examined optimistic for COVID-19 within the UK, the company reported on April 8.

A “small quantity” of XE instances have been detected within the US, the place the brand new subvariant is taken into account “one other lineage of omicron and never a brand new variant of curiosity or concern,” a spokesperson for the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) advised VERIFY. 

Is XE extra contagious than different COVID-19 strains?

Early knowledge present the XE subvariant could also be about 10% extra transmissible than BA.2, however it’s too early to know precisely how contagious it’s, the WHO and different consultants say. In accordance with UKHSA, the info “can not but be interpreted as an estimate of development benefit” for the XE subvariant.

If XE is 10% extra transmissible than BA.2, that will make it “one of the crucial transmissible viruses on this planet,” Mark mentioned. 

Medical consultants don’t have sufficient proof but to attract conclusions about severity or vaccine effectiveness both. However the CDC expects the XE subvariant to behave equally to BA.2 as a result of they share the identical spike protein.

Some medical consultants consider BA.2 is about 50% extra contagious than BA.1. However vaccines present the identical degree of safety in opposition to extreme sickness and hospitalization of BA.2 in comparison with different variants. 

How widespread are recombinant variants?

Recombinant variants “are usually not an uncommon incidence, notably when there are a number of variants in circulation, and a number of other have been recognized over the course of the pandemic up to now,” Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor with UKHSA, mentioned. 

One other recombinant variant recognized throughout the pandemic is a mixture of the delta and omicron variants that some have referred to as “deltacron.” Delta-omicron recombinant instances are “exceedingly uncommon” in america, the CDC beforehand advised VERIFY. 

Most recombinant variants “die off comparatively shortly,” Hopkins mentioned. It’s unclear proper now if this can occur with the XE subvariant.

Although immunity to BA.1 and BA.2 presently stays excessive on account of COVID-19 vaccines and pure an infection, it may wane over time and permit a brand new subvariant like XE to take maintain within the US, Mark mentioned. 

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