New XEC Covid Variant Spreads To 27 Countries, Here’s What We Know So Far

Scientists have raised concerns that the XEC variant, known for being “more contagious” is beginning to spread quickly across Europe and might soon become the dominant strain, according to a report by the Independent. Researchers had predicted in August that this variant could gain momentum within weeks to a few months.

A BBC report said the XEC variant was first identified in Germany in June and has since been detected in countries including the UK, US, Denmark, and others. Currently, over 500 samples from 27 countries, such as Poland, Norway, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Portugal, and China, have tested positive for XEC.

XEC is a sublineage of the omicron variant initially reported in Berlin, Germany, in June and is now spreading “quite rapidly” across Europe, North America, and Asia, according to Covid data analyst Mike Honey.