New threat of coronavirus! XEC variant spread to 27 countries, how dangerous?
The coronavirus that has killed millions of people around the world is once again spreading its tentacles. In June this year, a new variant of the coronavirus, XEC (MV.1), was discovered in Berlin, Germany. According to information, this variant is spreading rapidly around the world. According to information provided on the Scripps Research outbreak.info page on September 5, 95 patients of this variant have been found in 12 US states and 15 countries.
At the same time, Australia's data integration specialist Mike Honey has informed on the social media platform X that more than 100 patients of this new variant have been identified in about 27 countries of Europe, North America, and Asia. Mike Honey has expressed apprehension that in the coming days, this variant can become a challenge like Omicron's DeFLuQE.
Cases of KP.3 strain are increasing in America.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the KP.3.1.1 strain (known as DeFLuQE) of the Omicron variant has dominated in the first two weeks of this month. Between September 1 and 14, about 52.7% of the patients in the US have been found to be of this variant. But scientists say that with the speed at which the XEC variant is spreading, it may soon become the second biggest threat after the KP.3 variant.
According to reports, cases of the XEC variant are increasing rapidly in Germany, Denmark, Britain, and the Netherlands. Some new mutations are also occurring in this variant, due to which it can spread rapidly in winter, although experts say that the vaccine is effective in preventing it.
The XEC variant is expected to spread rapidly.
Regarding the XEC variant, Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, says that this is just the beginning. Eric believes that this variant can spread more rapidly in the coming weeks or months, which can lead to another wave of coronavirus. According to experts, now the tests are being done less than before, due to which it is currently difficult to find out how much this virus has spread.
Recombinant variant XEC is continuing to spread, and looks a likely next challenger against the now-dominant DeFLuQE variants (KP.3.1.1.*).
— Mike Honey (@Mike_Honey_) September 15, 2024
Here are the leading countries reporting XEC. Strong growth in Denmark and Germany (16-17%), also the UK and Netherlands (11-13%).
🧵 pic.twitter.com/rLReeM9wF8
According to data specialist Mike Honey, this variant was first confirmed in Maharashtra, India, after which patients of the XEC (MV.1) variant were found in 9 other countries including the US. This variant has also been confirmed in patients in China, Ukraine, Poland, and Norway.
What are the symptoms of the XEC variant?
The symptoms of this variant are also like fever and cold. It can cause high fever, body ache, fatigue, cough, and sore throat. Apart from this, symptoms like difficulty in breathing, headache, loss of taste and smell, vomiting, and diarrhea can also appear. Most people suffering from the coronavirus start feeling better within a few weeks, but the patient infected with this variant takes more time to recover.