Health
Why is the new COVID-19 variant, XEC, ‘more contagious’?
Some 500 samples from 27 countries, including Poland, Norway, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Portugal, and China, have been found to contain XEC.
The new variant of COVID-19: ‘XEC’, has spread to 27 countries as of 19th September 2024. Classified as ‘more contagious’, this variant was first identified in Germany in June 2024 and has since emerged in the US, Denmark, and several other countries.
It is a sublineage of the omicron variant and is a hybrid of KS.1.1 and KP.3.3 sub-variants. Some 500 samples from 27 countries, including Poland, Norway, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Portugal, and China, have been found to contain XEC.
The scientists believe that XEC has a set of mutations that can make it more contagious.