According to the World Health Organization’s newest report, a new Covid strain has been discovered in the United Kingdom. According to the health body, the new mutant, dubbed XE, maybe more transmissible than any other strain of COVID-19.
XE is a recombinant strain derived from the BA’1 and BA.2 Omicron strains. When a patient is infected with numerous Covid variants, recombinant mutations occur. The variants’ genetic material is mixed up during replication, resulting in the formation of a new mutation, according to UK experts in a paper published in the British Medical Journal.
According to the World Health Organization, the novel mutation XE appears to be 10% more transmissible than the Omicron BA.2 subvariant.
“Early estimates show a 10% community growth rate advantage over BA.2, but this data requires validation,” the global health organization noted.
According to the British health service, XE was discovered on January 19 and 637 cases of the new type have been documented thus far.
Meanwhile, the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is rapidly spreading around the world. According to the latest poll from the Office for National Statistics, around 4.9 million persons in the UK had Covid-19 in the week ending March 26, up 600,000 from the previous week.
Additionally, the United States and China reported an increase in Covid cases due to the BA.2 variety. In March, China recorded approximately 104,000 domestic Covid infections, with the majority of recent cases occurring in Shanghai or northeastern Jilin province.
Source: NDTV
