The new XE variant detected in the UK and then in Thailand is a combination of the two Omicron sub-variants BA.1 and BA.2.
After a lull of a few weeks, Covid-19 contaminations are on the rise again in Europe and Asia, with the emergence of new variants and sub-variants. What do we know about these variants and what threat can they pose to the evolution of the pandemic?
The coronavirus family continues to grow. After the multiple variants that have followed one another over the past two years, it is now the turn of sub-variants and recombinants. The latest is XE which is spreading in Europe, especially in the UK. Hundreds of cases have been recorded in the country in the past few days. However, the UK Health Agency said there is currently insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about how this recombination is likely to develop and spread. “The new XE variant detected in the UK and then in Thailand is a combination of the two Omicron sub-variants BA.1 and BA.2. According to the first data, it would be more transmissible by 10% compared to BA.2 and by 43% compared to BA.1. It is therefore a variant that is transmitted even more quickly than its predecessors, which risks reigniting the pandemic all over the world. Fortunately, this should not have a large impact on mortality and severe cases.
Nevertheless, it must be followed closely and remain very vigilant, ”says to the “Matin” Dr Tayeb Hamdi, doctor and researcher in health systems and policies. For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently warned that recombinant XE could be the most contagious strain of the new coronavirus, although its severity is still unknown. In addition to the XE variant, the control of the Covid-19 pandemic in the world is currently conditioned by the monitoring of 3 other signals. “There is, first of all, the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant which is 10% more transmissible compared to BA.1. It is growing more and more in the world and has more or less revived the epidemic, especially in Europe, with a low impact on serious cases and deaths,” says Dr. Hamdi.
And to emphasize that “the second signal that must be closely monitored is the XD variant better known by its name Deltacron, recombining the Delta and Omicron variants. We continue to register a few cases, but for the moment we have not noted any particular seriousness. The last is the new variant that appeared in China a few days ago. According to Chinese scientists, this variant would have evolved in line with the BA.1.1 sub-variant, but information about it is still very rare.