XEC is currently located in Australia. Here's what we know about this hybrid coronavirus variant

In the nearly five years since the coronavirus first emerged, you could be forgiven for forgetting how many new variants we've identified. Some have had a bigger impact than others, but documented by virologists Thousands.

Latest variant making headlines It's called XEC. This micron subvariant has been mainly reported in the Northern Hemisphere, but now detected in australia Too.

So what do we know about XEC?

Does the new coronavirus still exist?

People are now testing less for coronavirus and reporting it less. enthusiasm for track the virus It is in general decline.

Despite this, Australia still collects and reports New coronavirus data. Although the number of cases is likely much higher than the number documented, 275,000 people so far this year), we can get some idea of ​​when we see big waves compared to periods of low activity.

Australia has reached its previous peak of new coronavirus infections June 2024. Cases have been on the decline since then.

But there is no doubt that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus, is still here.

Which variants are currently in circulation?

main Variants of the new coronavirus Examples currently in circulation around the world include BA.2.86, JN.1, KP.2, KP.3, and XEC. These are all descendants of omicron.

XEC variant first detected in italy In May 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated this as a variant.Under surveillance” in September.

Since it was discovered Popularization of XEC It has a presence in more than 27 countries in Europe, North America, and Asia. As of mid-September, countries such as the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Denmark have the highest number of confirmed cases.

XEC currently supplements: 20% of infected people in Germany, 12% in the UK and Approximately 6% in the US.

Although XEC remains a minority variant globally, it appears to have a growth advantage over other circulating variants. We don't know why yet, but reports suggest it might. spreads more easily than other variations.

For this reason, XEC predominant variant worldwide in the coming months.

What about Australia?

Latest Australian Respiratory Surveillance Report Recently, we noted an increasing proportion of sequenced XECs.

In Australia, 329 SARS-CoV-2 sequences collected between August 26 and September 22 were austracAustralia's National Genomics Surveillance Platform for Coronavirus.

of most of the sequence (301 of 329, or 91.5%) were sublineages of JN.1, including KP.2 (17 of 301) and KP.3 (236 of 301). The remaining 8.5% (28/329) were recombinants consisting of one or more micron sublineages, including XEC.

Estimates based on data from GISAID, an international repository of viral sequences, suggest that XEC Approximately 5% of cases In Australia, 16 of 314 samples were sequenced.

Queensland reported the highest percentage in the past 30 days (8%, or 8 of 96 sequences), followed by South Australia (5%, or 5 of 93 sequences) and Victoria (5%, or 5 of 93 sequences). or 1 of 20 sequences) in New South Wales. (3%, or 2 of 71). WA recorded 0 out of 34 sequences. Data were not available for other states and territories.

What do we know about XEC? What is recombinant?

The XEC variant is believed to be a recombinant progeny of two previously identified omicron subvariants, KS.1.1 and KP.3.3. Recombinant variants are formed when: two different variations At the same time, it can also infect the host and switch the genetic information of the virus. This leads to the emergence of new variants with characteristics of both “parent” strains.

KS.1.1 is one of the group commonly known as “.Cheating” variationsOn the other hand, KP.3.3 is one of '.full quest” variant. Both of these variant groups are recent Rapid increase in new coronavirus infections all over the world.

WHO Naming convention In the case of new variants of coronaviruses, a combination of letters is often used to represent new variants, especially those resulting from recombination events between existing lineages. “X” is usually recombinant mutant (for example, XBB), followed by a letter that indicates a particular lineage.

So far, little is known about the specific characteristics of XEC or how it differs from other variants. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the symptoms are more severe than with previous versions of the virus.

What we do know is what mutations this variant has. Mutations such as the T22N mutation (inherited from KS.1.1) and Q493E (from KP.3.3) are found in the S gene, which encodes the spike protein. mutation
known to Omicron lineage.

Are vaccines effective against XEC?

Latest monitoring data We have not seen a significant increase in hospitalizations due to the new coronavirus. This suggests that current vaccines still provide effective protection against severe outcomes from circulating variants.

As the virus continues to mutate, vaccine companies keep updating vaccines. Both Pfizer and Moderna have updated their vaccines to target the JN.1 variant, which is the parent strain of the FLiRT variant and therefore should protect against XEC.

However, Australia still waiting To hear which vaccines will be available to the public and when.

In the meantime, current Omicron-based vaccines such as XBB.1.5spikevax (Moderna) and COMIRNATY (Pfizer) may still be able to adequately protect against XEC.

It is difficult to predict how XEC will perform in Australia as we head into the summer. Further research is needed to understand more about this variant as it becomes more prevalent. However, given that XEC was first detected in Europe during the boreal summer, this suggests that XEC may be better suited to spread in warm climates.