Recently, a person in Gujarat was found to be infected with the XE variant of coronavirus - just days after India reported its first case of the variant in Mumbai. The Health Ministry, however, had denied the Mumbai report, saying that the "present evidence does not suggest the presence of the new variant". The cases have sparked fears of a new wave of coronavirus infections in the country - but is it too soon to start worrying? Here is everything we know so far about the XE variant of coronavirus:
What is the XE variant of coronavirus?
XE is a sub-variant of Omicron, which caused a third wave of infections in India this winter.
Omicron has two prominent subvariants - BA.1 and BA.2. While BA.1 is the original strain, BA.2 is more infectious and widespread.
The XE variant is what is called a ‘recombinant’, which means it contains the mutations found in BA.1 as well as BA.2. According to the World Health Organisation, “recombination is common among coronaviruses and is regarded as an expected mutational event.”
A recombinant variant occurs when an individual becomes infected with 2 or more variants at the same time, resulting in a mixing of their genetic material within the patient’s body, according to UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
UKHSA’s analysis suggests that the XE recombinant is not more dangerous and does not have any significant advantages over other variants.
When was it first detected?
According to WHO, the XE variant was first detected in the United Kingdom on January 19. Since then, more than 600 samples of XE have been found in several different countries.
According to the World Health Organisation, the XE variant could be about 10 per cent more transmissible than the BA.2 variant. However, this finding requires further confirmation.
The UKHSA report added that there is “currently insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about growth advantage or other properties of this variant.”
“This particular recombinant, XE, has shown a variable growth rate and we cannot yet confirm whether it has a true growth advantage. So far there is not enough evidence to draw conclusions about transmissibility, severity or vaccine effectiveness,” said Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Advisor, UKHSA.
Should we be worried about XE?
At this point, there is no evidence to suggest that the disease caused by XE variant of Covid-19 is more severe.
“XE belongs to the Omicron variant until significant differences in transmission and disease characteristics, including severity, may be reported,” the WHO said.
“Recombinant variants are not an unusual occurrence, particularly when there are several variants in circulation, and several have been identified over the course of the pandemic to date. As with other kinds of variant, most will die off relatively quickly,” Professor Hopkins said.
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