Covid Variant XE
Covid variant XE has triggered fresh concerns about a new wave.The new sub-variant XE is just a subtype of Omicron. Omicron’s common variants were BA1, BA2, and both mutated into the new variant. This variant is essentially Omicron only, but it is a recombinant mutant of Omicron.The new Covid variant XE is recombinant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 sublineages of COVID-19, which makes it even more infectious than Omicron. While this means that the variant will spread faster than previous Omicron strains and infect more people than before.
What is Covid XE variant?
The XE variant of Coronavirus was first detected in England in mid-January and has been confirmed in more than 600 cases since then.
Covid XE variant is known to be 10% more transmissible and has a higher community transmission advantage of 1.1 as compared to the original virus.
XE variant is a recombinant variant of the SARS COV 2 virus. It means that the two variants (BA.1 and BA.2) have recombined and the mutation happened to let this variant come in presence. It is known to be 10% more transmissible and has a higher community transmission advantage of 1.1 as compared to the original virus.
Symptoms of XE variant
So far, the symptoms reported with this variant remains that of the Omicron such as
• fatigue
• lethargy
• fever
• headache
• Sore throat
• Scratchy throat
• body pain
• gastrointestinal distress
• respiratory distress
• palpitations
• heart issues
• nerves damage
There is no evidence so far to say that the symptoms of XE variant are different from the already existing variants.
Causes (Why viruses recombine and what led to the birth of XE variant ?)
Coronaviruses carry RNA as their genetic content. This inherently renders them more flexible and allows them to make new strains and variants easily. On the contrary, humans and all other life forms carry DNA as their genetic material, which is more stable.
Precautions –
Precautions are essentially the same. Everyone has been aware of these precautionary measures for the past two years.
• It is also helpful to continue wearing the mask and to observe social distancing norms.
• Do not attend events and places that are overcrowded.
• A booster dose can increase your protection if you are at risk of severe disease or illness. As a result, the booster dose of COVID is recommended after the vaccination.
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