New Covid variant 'XE' discovered, WHO says it may be more transmissible than Omicron

LONDON: Amid reports of declining Covid cases in countries including India, there is a new cause of concern for the world with the discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus. The new variant of the coronavirus, the XE, may be more transmissible than all variants of the coronavirus discovered so far. The first case was reported in the UK on January 19. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the new variant is 10% more potent than the currently circulating Omicron BA2 subtype.

The WHO estimates that XE is a 'recombinant' of the Omicron BA1 and BA2 variants. The preliminary assessment is that the new variant has a community growth rate of 10 times that of the BA2 variant. By far, Omicron's BA2 sub-variant has been considered the most transmissible.

Covid's BA2 variant is spreading around the world, including in China and South Korea. According to a study by the British Health Security Agency, there are three new subtypes: XD, XE and XF.