New XE Variant Has Arrived And Is 40% More Transmissible Than BA1 Omicron
Below is a summary of pertinent details regarding the XE variant. Sources are listed below.
XE is a BA1/BA2 recombinant. Meaning, it was produced from someone being co-infected infected with BA1 +BA2
Majority of XE’s genome is from BA2
Contains 3 mutations not present in all BA1/BA2 sequences: NSP3 C3241T, V1069I, & NSP12 C14599T
First observed on March 19th 2022
Has a growth rate of 9.8%
SGTP (S-gene target positive unlike Omicron BA1- SGTF)
763 cases sequenced
Most cases seen in UK
Hong Kong sequenced 2 cases from travelers
40% more transmissible than BA.1 Omicron
Symptoms: Mild upper respiratory symptoms like cough, sore throat, fever, lethargy (tiredness), diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, bloating
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.28.22273020v1
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions
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