What we know about XEC, the new COVID variant on the rise in Europe

A new coronavirus variant that is spreading in Europe and globally could soon become dominant, medical experts warn.

The XEC variant is a hybrid of the earlier omicron subvariants KS.1.1 and KP.3.3, which is currently dominant in Europe. But XEC’s mutations could help it spread more easily this autumn, experts have told multiple news outlets.

However, it does not yet meet the criteria to become a variant of concern or interest to public health authorities, according to a spokesperson from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

“A very limited number of XEC detections have been reported to-date,” the spokesperson said.

Scientists first identified the XEC variant in Berlin in June, and it has since been detected in at least 11 European countries and four others worldwide.

So far, XEC makes up at least 1 per cent of all sequenced samples in Slovenia, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, according to US-based nonprofit institute Scripps Research data updated earlier this month.

It’s also been identified in the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Ireland, Sweden, Italy and Spain, Scripps data shows.

Get vaccinated before winter

Sequencing data has some caveats. Viral samples that undergo genomic sequencing are not a direct representation of the cases circulating in the community, and not all labs are pursuing sequencing at the same rate.

That means the strains that show up in sequencing data “may not represent the true prevalence of the mutations in the population,” Scripps Research says.

Even so, it can offer early clues on how the virus is evolving, giving researchers and medical agencies time to decide whether any specific counter-measures, like altered vaccines or public health recommendations, are needed.

Experts believe that the existing COVID-19 vaccines should be effective against the XEC variant, BBC News reported.

“We anticipate XEC to have similar properties to currently circulating variants, with no change in infection severity or vaccine effectiveness against severe disease,” an ECDC spokesperson told Euronews Next.

The ECDC recommends getting vaccinated ahead of the winter season, given protection wanes over time.

“Vaccination is the most effective measure to protect against more severe forms of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza,” the ECDC says.

This story has been updated to include comments from the ECDC.