New Covid Subvariant Could Lead To Major Increase In Cases, Report Reveals

As it spreads quickly throughout Europe, a recently discovered Covid-19 subvariant called XEC is drawing the attention of health authorities globally. XEC was first discovered in Germany, but reports of it have since spread to the Netherlands and other parts of Western Europe. Physicians and scientists are keeping a close eye on XEC, as it appears that it may eventually overtake the current dominant subvariant, KP.3.1.1. Right now in the US, this subvariant is the most common strain.

According to a California-based physician speaking to the Los Angeles Times, XEC is "just getting started" and may take several weeks to months before it begins to significantly impact global and domestic case numbers. While XEC is "definitely taking charge" and appears to be the next prominent variant, experts caution that it will likely be months before it reaches high levels of prevalence.

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According to the Los Angeles Times, while XEC has shown up in the United States, its prevalence is low, and it is not being individually tracked on the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's variant tracker website. A lineage must be estimated to circulate above 1% nationally over a two-week period for it to be tracked.

The expected midyear wave began in May, when the winter's dominant subvariant, JN.1, gave way to a number of subvariants nicknamed FLiRT-a cheeky name based on the letters of two key mutations, F456L and R346T, Topol said.

Then, "the FLiRT eventually gave way to new variants that had even more growth advantage," Topol said.