The variant has been discovered in the U.K., but experts say it is too early to know whether it is more contagious than previous strains.
The United Kingdom Health Insurance Agency (UKHSCA) said it was studying a mutation in the XE – BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron strains, referred to as “recombinant.”
The government said that as of March 22, 637 cases of XE were detected in Georgia, England. Only a tiny sliver of the tens of thousands of Covid cases reported daily after the restrictions lifted.
The early growth rates of XE did not differ significantly from BA.2 – also known as ”Stealth” Omicron.
But using the latest data as of March 16, 2022, it now had a growth rate of 9.8 percent higher than the stealth option, the UKHSCA said.
However, the authority warned that ” since this assessment has not remained consistent as new data added, it can not yet interpret as an assessment of the growth benefit for the recombinant.”
“The numbers were too small for the XE recombinant to analyze by region,” the UKHSCA said.
Professor Susan Hopkins, UKHSA’s Chief Medical Advisor Transitional Officer, said recombinant options are not uncommon and usually die “rather fast.”
“This individual recombinant, XE, has shown a variable growth rate, and we can not yet confirm whether it has a real growth advantage,” Ms. Hopkins said.
“So far, there is insufficient evidence to conclude the severity of the contagious, vaccine or vaccine.”
The UKHSA statement added: “XE shows proof of public transmission in England, although it is less than one percent of all consecutive cases.”
According to official data, Covid was a record number in the U.K. last week.
The Office for National Statistics said one in 13 people – or 4.9 million – had the virus by the week of March 26. This is 4.3 million in the previous week.
A new Covid variant has been seen in the U.K., but experts say it’s too soon to know if it is more virulent than previous strains.
The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSCA) said it was looking at XE – a mutation of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron strains, referred to as a ” recombinant.”
The government said that, as of March 22, 637 cases of XE were detected in England, only a tiny sliver of the tens of thousands of Covid cases reported daily since restrictions lifted.
Early growth rates for XE were not significantly different from BA.2 – also known as ”Stealth” Omicron.
But using the most recent data up to March 16, 2022, it now had a growth rate 9.8 percent above that of the stealth variant, the UKHSCA said.
The body cautioned that “this estimate has not remained consistent as new data is added, and it cannot yet interpret as an estimate of growth benefit for the recombinant.”
“Numbers were too short for the XE recombinant to be analyzed by region,” the UKHSCA said.
Professor Susan Hopkins, the UKHSA’sUKHSA’s chief medical advisor transition lead, said recombinant variants are uncommon and usually die off “relatively quickly.”
“This particular recombinant, XE, has shown a varying growth rate, and we cannot yet ascertain whether it has a true growth advantage,” Ms. Hopkins told The Sun.
“So far, there is insufficient evidence to conclude transmissibility, severity, or vaccine effectiveness.”
According to official figures, a record number of people in the U.K. had Covid in the past week.
The Office for National Statistics said one in every 13 people – or 4.9 million – had the virus in the week ending March 26. This is up from 4.3 million in the previous week.
A new omicron subvariant has been caught in the U.K. as the country faces a continued surge in Covid-19 hospitalizations.
As it is understood, the XE variant has so far been noticed in 637 patients nationwide, according to belated statistics from the U.K. Health Security Agency, which said there is now not enough evidence to conclude its transmissibility or severity.
XE contains a mix of the earlier highly infectious omicron BA.1 strain, which arose in late 2021, and the unique “stealth” BA.2 variant, currently the U.K.’sU.K.’s dominant variant.
It is understood as a “recombinant,” a type of variant that can happen when an individual becomes infected with two or more variants simultaneously, mixing their genetic material within a patient’spatient’s body.
