New COVID sub-variant sparks concerns of major surge in cases: Report
It is expected that the strain may take several months for it to grow more popular among individuals and become the next major strain type.
New COVID Sub-Variant XEC, recently identified, is spreading rapidly across Europe and is garnering interest from health authorities around the world. XEC was initially identified in Germany, but cases have been reported in the Netherlands and other states in the western part of Europe. Physicians and scientists are paying attention to XEC because one of them is very close to displacing the current dominant subvariant known as KP. Currently, in the United States, it has become the most dominant strain of the virus.
As quoted by the Los Angeles Times from a California-based physician, XEC is ‘just getting started’ and therefore could be weeks to months away from substantially reducing global and domestic case numbers. While XEC is “definitely taking charge,” it is expected that the strain may take several months for it to grow more popular among individuals and become the next major strain type.
As the Los Angeles Times notes, although XEC has been spotted in the United States, the prevalence is relatively low, and it is not monitored separately on the US CDC variant mapping website. If it is to be tracked, it must be estimated circulating above 1% nationally within a two-week period for the lineage.
As for the mid-May increase in infections, it started with the winter’s dominant sub-variant JN. 1, which spawned a number of sub-variants known as FLiRT—a shorthand derived from two of the mutations, namely F456L and R346T, according to Topol. Topol further added, “The FLiRT eventually gave way to new variants that had even more growth advantage.”
You might also be interested in – Zuckerberg confirms US government pressure on COVID-19 censorship, Expresses regret
