Talk of the new Covid variant – known as XEC – is on everyone’s lips right now. There are reports that the variant, first discovered in Germany in June, is spreading in the United States and the rest of Europe. So far, the new variant has been detected in at least 15 countries and 12 US states, and now reports of people contracting XEC are emerging in the UK (although some insist it is too early to confirm)..

Professor Francois Balloux, director of the Genetics Institute at University College London, told us that XEC is “almost certainly” already here in the UK and probably accounts for around 5 percent of all current Covid cases. He says that XEC, like Omicron before it, could become the dominant sub-variant in the coming months due to its higher transmissibility. “We There are currently three or four variants with high frequency cases, so it may or may not prevail.”

What is the new Covid variant?

XEC is a so-called “descendant” of two earlier variants, often described as a “recombinant” or “hybrid” variant. They occur naturally when a person is infected with two different Covid variants at the same time, explains Paul R. Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. “Given the number of countries from which the disease has been reported, it appears to have some transmission advantage over earlier variants, so it is likely to significantly increase case numbers, although it is uncertain whether or not it will become a dominant variant.”

Is XEC already available in the UK?

While some say yes, Hunter says it’s too early to say for sure. “We don’t yet know for sure if XEC is in the UK. Because we usually only test people who are sick enough to go to hospital (over 90% of reported infections are in hospital patients), people generally get infected and develop symptoms four or five days later, requiring hospitalization about a week later.”

He continued: “It can therefore take up to two weeks to take a sample after infection and then up to a week for the results of the sample to show whether it is the new strain. So at the moment it is too early to say definitively that it is there.”

How dangerous is the new Covid variant?

Although the variant appears to be highly contagious, there are still too few cases to make meaningful predictions, says Hunter. But we shouldn’t necessarily panic. “Previous recombinant viruses generally haven’t had as big an impact as some had predicted. Because they are ‘hybrids,’ there is usually already strong immunity. In general, each new variant since the emergence of Omicron has had less severe impact than the previous one.”

We have to expect new variants in the future. “They will appear two or three times a year in the coming decades, but that does not mean they will have a major impact on the disease,” he adds. Most people will not be severely affected, adds Balloux. “The new variant will probably generate additional cases, but most people – namely those who are healthy – will be well protected.”

How long does XEC last?

It’s too early to say. “There are far too few cases to know,” says Hunter. “In most countries, we only record cases of the most seriously ill people. So if we only hear about one in 200 infections, it’s very difficult to extrapolate meaningful data from that.” Based on previous variants, we might see similar symptoms (high fever, aches, cough and fatigue) lasting a similar length of time.

Do old Covid tests and vaccines work at XEC?

PCR tests should detect the new strain, says Hunter. “PCR tests will definitely detect XEC – they target parts of the virus that are genetically very stable and identifiable. We don’t know if lateral flow tests detect XEC, but we do know that they are generally not as effective at detecting Covid.”

Vaccines offer good protection. “We know that protection against severe disease (after infection or vaccination) lasts for months. I also suspect that the duration of immunity against infections is likely to increase, although we cannot currently prove this impression.”

“A single round of vaccination probably provides about 50 percent protection against infection for about four months, but protects against severe disease for about 12 to 18 months,” says Hunter. “So if you had a vaccination and/or infection over a year ago, you’re probably no longer protected against infection, but still well protected against severe disease.”

How many Covid variants are there in the UK?

In short, many… “It depends on how you define a variant,” explains Balloux. “All current strains are direct descendants of Corona and we now have many different lineages, all descended from other lineages.”

Is there anything else we can do to protect ourselves?

Experts agree that the new booster vaccine offers good protection against XEC. Eligible people will be able to book a Covid booster through the NHS from September 23 (those eligible will be contacted).

This includes adults aged 65 and over and people aged between six months and 64 with certain health conditions that make them more vulnerable. Frontline health and social care workers, including those working in care homes, will also be offered the vaccine.