A new variant of the COVID-19 virus has been discovered in the United Kingdom, public health experts, however, say there is no reason for alarm as of the moment. The new variant was identified as XE. It is a combination of the BA.1 omicron variant and its subvariant BA.2.
Scientists call this kind of combination a recombinant variant, which is common and usually appears and disappears on its own, as per an ABC News report.
According to Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist, there is "no public health concern" about new COVID-19 variants because such variants "happen over and over."
"In fact, the reason that this is the XE variant recombinant is that we've had XA, XB, XC, XD already, and none of those have turned out to be any real concern," said Dr. Browstein, who is also chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital.
Last week, the UK Health Security Agency reported that 637 XE variant cases had been identified as of March 22. The earliest detection was on January 19.
The U.K COVID-19 situation has already indicated that further research is needed to determine if XE is more transmissible than BA.2.i. per the World Health Organization,
XE accounts for fewer than 1% of all COVID-19 instances sequenced in the United Kingdom, and there is no indication that the variant can evade immunizations, cause more severe disease, or be more lethal.
Has the XE Recombinant Entered the United States?
As of present writing, other countries, including the United States, have no reports of the recombinant variant. But Dr. Brownstein noted that there is a need to conduct a deeper study about XE. However, he said that there is a significant level of protection in the US, both from vaccines and from natural immunity developed during the wave of omicron cases in the country.
Meanwhile, the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron is thought to account for approximately three out of every four coronavirus variants in the United States, according to the US National Public Health Agency.
COVID-19 infections in the United States have declined substantially since reaching record highs in January, but a resurgence in infections in Asia and Europe has fueled fears that another surge might hit the country. Reuters reported that health specialists in the country say it is unlikely to occur.
According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on April 1, the seven-day moving average number of COVID-19 US cases was 26,106. It was down from 26,309 a week earlier.
The highly contagious BA.2 sub-variant accounts for 72.2 percent of COVID variants in the United States as of April 2, up from approximately 57.3 percent the week before, based on the estimations of the CDC.
Biden Wants Additional Funding for COVID-19 Response
United States President Joe Biden last week underscored that COVID-19 has not yet ended, but the country is in another phase of the pandemic.
He said that the government's strategy on" vaccinations, testing, treatments, and more " has helped Americans move into "a new moment in this pandemic."
"It does not mean that COVID-19 is over. It means that COVID-19 no longer controls our lives," Biden noted, per US News.
The President also urged Congress to secure additional funding for the COVID-19 response as "Cases are ticking up."
