Detected in the United Kingdom, XE is a recombinant, to understand that it comes from the mixture of two pre-existing variants. So far it has been detected in just 637 samples in Britain.
A the difference of the variant XDwhich results from a union between Delta and Omicron, the XE variant is a pure product of Omicron. Indeed, according to the British health agency, the latter is from from its two strains, namely BA.1 and BA.2.
Data on the severity of the XE variant and its ability to evade vaccines are still unclear, although early estimates suggest it may be more transmissible than previous strains.
Data from the UK Health Security Agency shows that XE has a growth rate of 9,8%higher than that of BA.2while the World Health Organization has put the figure at 10%.
The first confirmed case of XE in Britain was on January 19, suggesting it may have been circulating in the population for several months. On the other hand, it has also been detected in Thailand, India, or Finland.
For the WHO, “XE belongs to the Omicron variant until significant differences in transmission and disease characteristics, including severity, can be reported”.