A new CovidOmicronXE subvariant has been discovered in a number of common cases in the United Kingdom.
According to the World Health Organization, the new variant was first identified on January 19.
However, UK health officials said there was not enough evidence to draw firm conclusions about Omicron XE.
What is Omicron XE?
Omicron XE is a so-called recombinant variant that occurs when a person is infected with two or more mutants at the same time.
This results in a mixture of those genetics in the patient’s body.
This is not uncommon, as several recombinant variants were identified during the pandemic.
XE is a recombinant of the Omicron strains BA.1 and BA.2, which causes most cases in the United Kingdom.
How many are there?
As of March 25, a total of 637 XEs have been identified in the UK, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
The oldest of these has a sample date of January 19th of this year.
This is probably just a small part of all cases.
Last week, the Office for National Statistics estimated that about 4.9 million people in the UK were infected with Covid during the week leading up to March 26. This is the highest level since the survey began in April 2020.
Hybrid strains have also been detected in Thailand and Hong Kong.
How long can Omicron XE be transferred?
In a March 29 report, WHO described XE as follows:
“XE belongs to the omicron variant until significant differences in infection and disease characteristics, including severity, are reported.”
UK health officials said modeling data from January 15 to March 15 showed that XE could have a median growth rate of 9.8% compared to BA.2. rice field.
However, Professor Susan Hopkins, UKHSA’s Chief Medical Advisor, said: ..
“So far, there is insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about the infectivity, severity, or efficacy of the vaccine.”
Are there any new symptoms of XE?
Little is known about XE, but at this time it is not expected that new symptoms will occur in the subvariants.
The frequently reported symptoms of the original strain of Omicron are similar to those of the common cold, especially for vaccinated people.
The NHS recently updated the list of Covid’s symptoms and added nine symptoms.
Currently, the list of possible symptoms includes shortness of breath, tiredness, tiredness, body aches, as well as high temperatures, changes in taste and smell, and new persistent coughs.
Source: Belfasttelegraph
