Flu season is approaching and so is the threat associated with new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. In fact, a new strain of the pathogen called XEC that was detected in Berlin (Germany) in June of this year is spreading rapidly and “appears to be the most likely to spread at this time,” according to Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Research Institute, on his Twitter account.
Meanwhile, Scripps Research’s Outbreak.info page, last updated on September 3, reported 95 cases of the XEC variant in 12 US states and 15 different countries. However, on September 15, Australian data integration specialist Mike Honey wrote on his X account that the XEC variant has already been found in hundreds of people in more than 27 countries in Europe, North America, and Asia.
- What is known about the XEC and MV.1 variants
- Symptoms of the XEC variant
What is known about the XEC and MV.1 variants
There is not much data on XEC so far, although it is known to be a subvariant derived from two previously identified omicron subvariants: KS.1.1 and KP.3.3. Expert Dr. Marc Siegel, a senior medical analyst and clinical professor of medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center, told Fox News that the XEC subvariant “appears to be more contagious — causing congestion, cough, loss of smell and appetite, sore throat and body aches.”
Professor Adrian Esterman, Chair of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of South Australia, and Paul Griffin, an infectious disease physician and clinical microbiologist at the University of Queensland, told SB News that the JN.1 variant represented a significant change from previous XBB variants, as it had more than 30 distinct mutations. Subsequent mutations in JN.1 gave rise to the FLirT and FLuQE subvariants, also known as KP.2 and KP.3. The currently dominant variant globally, KP.3.1.1, is a mutation of FLuQE, also called DeFluQe.
“What has happened now is that a subvariant of FLirT, KS.1.1, and a subvariant of FluQE, KP.3.3, have combined, exchanging genes with each other,” Esterman said. Although data is still limited, the variant appears to have better “binding” ability. “One subvariant may be able to bind more efficiently to human cells or evade the immune system better than previous versions. In this case, it appears to have mutations in the spike protein that allow it to bind more efficiently, making it more transmissible.”
“It seems that XEC will not be the only dominant subvariant in the coming months; it is likely to compete with MV.1 in a sort of battle between the two”
The MV.1 variant was first identified in Maharashtra, India, in late June, and has been reported in nine countries, including the United States, according to Honey. The variant has spread across four continents, with cases reported in countries including Portugal, Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands. In the U.S., it has been seen primarily in the northeast of the country, Honey reports, noting on his X account that it is expanding rapidly and could compete with XEC.
Symptoms of the XEC variant
Official sources such as the World Health Organization (WHO) or the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have not published information on these variants at this time, but according to USA Today, the symptoms appear to be similar to those of COVID-19 caused by other SARS-CoV-2 variants, can range from mild to severe, and appear between two and 14 days after exposure to the virus.
The most common symptoms of XEC are:
- Fever or chills.
- Cough.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Fatigue.
- Muscle or body aches.
- Headache.
- Loss of taste or smell.
- Sore throat.
- Nasal congestion or discharge.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Diarrhea.
The CDC, according to the aforementioned media, recommends that updated COVID-19 vaccines continue to be administered for the 2024-2025 season in order to prevent potential complications from infection with XEC or other coronavirus variants.
Professor Adrian Esterman told SB News that he expects Pfizer’s updated vaccines targeting the JN.1 variant to offer “very good” protection against XEC, although he admits: “We can never be completely up to date with the variants, because since we made one vaccine, there are already two or three new mutations.”
The expert added in statements to the same media that “it seems that XEC will not be the only dominant subvariant in the coming months; it is likely to compete with MV.1 in a kind of battle between the two,” and adds that “it is nothing unexpected, nor something that should worry us too much, except for the fact that it could cause a new wave of infections, which would imply more hospitalizations and deaths.”
