A new COVID variant, XEC, is spreading rapidly across the globe and may soon become the dominant strain, according to media reports.
First detected in Germany in August, XEC has now been identified in 27 countries across Europe, North America and Asia.
Symptoms include high temperature, sore throat with cough, headaches, body aches and tiredness.
XEC Variant: What we know so far about the new COVID strain
XEC is a recombinant variant, formed when a person is infected with two different COVID variants simultaneously.
It is the result of genetic material exchanged between the KS.1.1 and KP.3.3 variants, both descendants of JN.1, which was dominant globally in early 2024.
Over 600 cases of XEC have been reported worldwide. The United States leads with 118 cases, followed by Germany (92), the UK (82), Canada (77) and Denmark (61).
