A new Covid-19 variant, XEC, is spreading and could soon become the dominant strain globally. First detected in Germany in August 2024, XEC appears to have a growth advantage over other circulating variants, though it is not radically different from them.
XEC is a “recombinant variant,” meaning it resulted from the genetic recombination of two Covid-19 variants, KS.1.1 and KP.3.3, both of which evolved from the previously dominant JN.1 variant.
As of September 18, over 600 cases of XEC have been identified across 27 countries, including the US, Germany, UK, Canada, and Denmark. Countries that regularly sequence Covid samples, like these, tend to identify more cases.
XEC’s spike protein contains two key mutations—T22N and Q493E—which may be responsible for its ability to spread faster. However, scientists are still investigating how these mutations impact the variant’s transmissibility and severity of illness.
The variant is not yet linked to worse disease outcomes, and symptoms are expected to be similar to other Covid strains. Booster vaccines targeting JN.1 are set to roll out in the UK this October, likely offering protection against XEC.
XEC is being closely monitored alongside other emerging variants.
* Richard Orton is a bioinformatics research associate at the University of Glasgow and Wilhelm Furnon is a postdoctoral research associate, Virology, at the University of Glasgow
– This story was originally published by The Conversation.
Source: RNZ
