Covid-XECA new and stronger variant of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Europe and surrounding areas and is expected to become a dominant strain by winter, experts say.
The variant, first discovered in Germany in June, is a hybrid of previously discovered omicron subvariants – KS.1.1 and KP.3.3.
KS.1.1 is one of the FLiRT variants which are among the strains driving Covid cases in many parts of the world. Experts say XEC could benefit from its unusual T22N mutation, in combination with the FLuQE mutations. FLuQE (KP.3) is a direct descendant of FLiRT, meaning it carries the same mutations as the FLiRT variants, with only an additional amino acid change in the spike protein, Q493E.
“At this point, the XEC variant appears to be the most likely to gain a foothold next,” Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, said in a post on X. Experts predicted last month that the variant would take the lead and spread faster within weeks or months.

More about the subvariants that make up the recombinant strain

KS.1.1: A component of the FliRT variant, with mutations in the building block molecules phenylalanine (F) changed to leucine (L) and arginine (R) changed to threonine (T) on the spike protein that the virus uses to attach to human cells.
KP.3.3: This is a type of FLuQE variant, where the amino acid glutamine (Q) on the spike protein has been mutated to glutamic acid (E), allowing it to bind to human cells more efficiently.

Symptoms of Covid XEC variant

Symptoms of XEC are similar to those of previous Omikron variants and include fever, sore throat, loss of sense of smell, cough, loss of appetite, and body aches.
According to health experts, other symptoms may include shortness of breath, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, nasal congestion, runny nose, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
The FLirT variants, which in principle belong to the Omikron lineage, lead to milder symptoms compared to the original Covid variant. The symptoms associated with FLirT variants resemble those of JN.1 and can manifest between two and 14 days after exposure.

Do vaccines help contain the spread?

The new variant is part of the omikron line and experts advise to vaccines and booster vaccinations to protect against serious illness and hospitalisation.