What we know about the new COVID-19 variant XEC
Scientists are raising the alarm about a new, more contagious variant of COVID-19 called XEC that is spreading rapidly in Europe and could soon become the dominant variant.
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The first case of the new global variant of the coronavirus XEC has been reported in New York. The more pressing concern, however, is that more and more New Yorkers are becoming infected with the currently dominant variant.
Parts of the state’s north, including the Finger Lakes, reported the largest increases in COVID patients hospitalized and detected in wastewater tests in September, as the virus spread among children returning to school and workers returning to offices for the fall.
A total of 194 COVID patients were in Finger Lakes hospitals on Monday, about 11% more than in late August and more than double the number at the start of the summer surge in early July. In contrast, the Mid-Hudson region had 131 COVID patients on Monday, unchanged from late August. The total number of COVID patients statewide also remained unchanged so far in September due to trends in the New York City area.
Although we are still in the darkest days of the pandemic, given the high number of infections and the prospect of XEC triggering another fall-winter wave in the coming months, health authorities are urging people to get vaccinated with the current COVID vaccine.
Early uptake of the updated COVID vaccines remained unclear as health officials worked to collect information and update the public dashboard tracking the vaccine rollout beginning in late August.
How does XEC spread
According to Scripps Research’s Outbreak.info page, New York was one of 12 U.S. states to report a case of the XEC strain. However, the 23 total cases of XEC discovered in sequencing nationwide over the past 60 days represent only a fraction of total COVID cases, as the currently dominant strain KP.3.1.1 caused most of the infections.
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XEC has spread rapidly to 15 other countries, prompting some health experts to call the disease the most likely cause of a fall-winter surge, USA TODAY reported.
How bad is COVID in New York in September?
Wastewater testing found that two of three sampling stations in Monroe County had high levels of the virus, compared to four of seven samples in Westchester County that had high levels.
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According to the latest available data, the seven-day average number of COVID patients arriving in emergency rooms statewide through Sept. 8 was 344, slightly lower than in late August.
As of Monday, there were a total of 1,149 COVID patients in hospitals across the state, with about 16% of them in the Finger Lakes, exceeded only by New York City’s 28%.
COVID vaccination appointments can be arranged
New Yorkers can now book appointments for the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccinations at Walgreens and CVS, following FDA recommendations for their safety and effectiveness. The government’s vaccine booking website, vaccines.gov, has tools to help you find vaccinations.
Health experts recommend getting vaccinated against both flu and COVID-19 in September or October to protect yourself ahead of winter. This is especially true for high-risk people, such as those over 65 or those with underlying health conditions. The federal health agency recommends the updated COVID vaccines for everyone six months of age and older, with some exceptions.
USA TODAY’s Anthony Robledo contributed reporting
—David Robinson is the New York State team’s health reporter for the USA TODAY Network. In his more than 15-year career as an investigative reporter, he has received awards for his coverage of the opioid epidemic, hospital and nursing home abuses, health disparities, COVID-19 and emergency response failures.
