New Covid Variant XE Found In UK, More Transmissible Than Omicron

According to the World Health Organization’s newest report, a new Covid variant XE has been discovered in the United Kingdom. The new mutant, known as XE, maybe more transmissible than any COVID-19 strain, according to the health agency.

BA’1 and BA.2 Omicron strains have been mutated to create XE, which is a “recombinant.” When a patient is infected with numerous Covid variants, recombinant mutations occur. In an article published in the British Medical Journal, UK specialists revealed that during replication, the variants mix up their genetic material and generate a new mutant.

The new mutation XE looks to be 10% more transmissible than the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron, according to the World Health Organization.

“Early estimates imply a community growth rate advantage of 10% above BA.2, but this discovery has to be confirmed,” the global health organization noted.

XE was first discovered on January 19, according to the UK’s health service, and 637 cases of the new strain have been documented so far.

Meanwhile, Omicron’s BA.2 sub-variant is rapidly spreading over the world. According to the latest poll by the Office for National Statistics, 4.9 million persons in the UK had Covid-19 in the week ending March 26, up 600,000 from the previous week.

The BA.2 variation has also been linked to an increase in Covid cases in the United States and China. In March, China recorded roughly 104,000 domestic Covid infections, with Shanghai and northeastern Jilin province accounting for 90% of the new cases.