Covid variant XE is more transmissible than any other Covid strain so far, says World Health Organisation (WHO). The UN health agency had earlier this week flagged the emergence of the new coronavirus variant XE-- a hybrid of the BA.1 and BA.2 variations of Omicron.
The XE variant was first detected in UK in January, the global health agency said in its weekly epidemiological update. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSCA) has also been studying the recombinant variant. What is XE variant? XE is combination or recombinant of both sub-variants (BA.1 and BA.2) of Omicron.
The recombinant variant appears to be, as per the WHO, 10% more transmissible than the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron. "Early-day estimates indicate a community growth rate advantage of 10 percent as compared to BA.2, however, this finding requires further confirmation," says the WHO.
A UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) study recently revealed that currently as many are 3 hybrid COVID variants are circulating.