Omicron XE now appears; The UK detects more than 700 cases

EFE.- British health authorities have discovered more than 700 cases of a new sub-variant of Omicron in the UK, known as Omicron XE, as experts try to determine whether it is more contagious or causes more severe symptoms than other variants.

According to the latest statistics from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), 763 cases of Omicron XE have been detected in the UK as of March 22nd, while the country is recording a spike in Covid-19 infections.

Last weekend, the country had 4.9 million cases of Covid-19, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), and authorities are linked to lifting the remaining restrictions to contain the pandemic.

Most of those 763 cases of Omicron XE were detected in southern and southeast England, as well as in London.

Read: Micron displays 59% lower risk of hospitalization than delta: study

Authorities indicated that scientists are working to understand XE, which is composed of the original Omicron strain and a variant of Omicron BA.2, known as Sneaky Omicron.

During the epidemic, experts discovered many variants, but few managed to control, such as Delta and Omicron.

So far, there is no evidence in the UK to suggest that Omicron XE infection causes more severe symptoms than previous variants of the virus or that vaccines do a good job of protecting the organism.

Most variants, like other types, will die relatively quickly, Susan Hopkins, UKHSA medical advisor, said in a statement.

“This recombinant, XE, showed a variable growth rate and we cannot confirm whether it has a real growth advantage. So far there is insufficient evidence to draw any conclusions about the transmissibility, severity or efficacy of the vaccine,” he added.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), recombinant XE was first detected in the UK on January 19 and early tests showed it could be more transmissible.

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