Published: Sep 17, 2024, 21:35 IST | Updated: Sep 17, 2024, 21:35 IST
World Sep 17, 2024, 21:35 IST
COVID variant XEC strain 'taking charge' in EU, Asia and the US
Scientists have warned that a "more contagious" variant of COVID-19, dubbed XEC, is spreading more rapidly across Europe and could soon become the dominant strain. According to the media reports, the new variant was first identified in Germany in June, and since then, the XEC variant has emerged in the UK, US, Denmark and several other countries. Experts have said that the new variant, a sublineage of the omicron variant, has some new mutations that might help it spread this autumn, although vaccines should still help prevent severe cases.