ABC: New COVID-19 variant XE identified: What to know and why experts say not to be alarmed

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A new COVID-19 variant called XE has been found in the United Kingdom and has infected 637 people as of March 22 according to the U.K Health Security Agency. The variant is a combination BA.1 omicron variant and the subvariant BA.2 omicron. This combination makes XE a recombinant variant. Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist, and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital says there should be no concern at the moment since recombinant variants are very common and often fade away on their own. There is some indication that XE might be more infectious than the BA.2 subvariant but the World Health Organization says more research is required and that the XE variant is not of concern yet. The full article by Mary Kekatos can be read here on ABC. For more on COVID-19 click here

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