What is the new XEC Covid variant and are scientists worried?

Words by Natasha Dangoor, ITV News Producer

A new, more contagious Covid strain dubbed XEC has begun to spread through Europe, scientists have warned.

First detected in Germany in June, this variant has since been found in 13 other countries - including the UK - and could likely soon become the dominant strain as the weather in Europe becomes colder.

This comes after a summer surge of the other coronavirus subvariants including FLiRT.

The UK Health Security Agency has not yet released data on the XEC variant, so the number of people who have contracted it in the UK is not known.

However, latest figures show that Covid cases in the UK are increasing by 4.3% week on week.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of the XEC strain are similar to those of previous Covid variants, including fever, sore throat, headaches, cough, loss of sense of smell, loss of appetite, and bodily aches.

Are scientists worried?

Experts are concerned the XEC strain could surpass the latest hyper-infectious subvariant, KP.3.1.1, currently considered to be the most common.

"At this juncture, the XEC variant appears to be the most likely one to get legs next," Dr Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California, said in a post on X.

However, it will take "many weeks, a couple months, before it really takes hold and starts to cause a wave," Dr Topol told the LA Times.

"It would be surprising if this doesn’t turn out to be the next challenge," he added.

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Where has it been found?

The leading countries reporting cases of XEC are Germany, Denmark, the UK and the Netherlands, according to Covid data analyst Mike Honey.

Its prevalence remains low in the US and Canada, though scientists are keeping a close eye on its spread, especially in Europe.

Is there a vaccine?

The XEC variant is a strain of Omicron, so experts say that keeping up with existing vaccines should offer sufficient protection against it.

"We’re not like in a new Greek letter - they’re not that much different; it’s not like something completely new," Dr Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious diseases for Kaiser Permanente Southern California, told the LA Times.

As ever, experts recommend regular hand hygiene and avoiding close contact with people showing symptoms.

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