XEC strain of COVID-19 spreading in Europe and could become dominant in US

There's an emerging COVID-19 variant in Europe that some medical professionals believe will become the dominant strain in the U.S.

The strain, known as XEC, was first detected in Berlin in June, according to Mike Honey , a data specialist based in Australia.

The variant, which is part of the Omicron family, has since seen growth in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, he says.

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Scripps Research has documented 95 XEC cases worldwide — with 25 in the U.S.

Currently, the KP.3.1.1 strain is the leading cause of COVID-19 infections in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the strain makes up more than 50% of new infections.

While there haven't been enough cases of XEC to show up on the CDC's variant tracker, Dr. Eric Topol, executive vice president at Scripps Research, says , "At this juncture, the XEC variant appears to be the most likely one to get legs next."

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Just like in the U.S., health officials in Europe are advising people to get vaccinated ahead of an anticipated winter surge.

"We anticipate XEC to have similar properties to currently circulating variants, with no change in infection severity or vaccine effectiveness against severe disease," a spokesperson with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control told Euronews Next .

Symptoms of the XEC variant are expected to be similar to current variants and include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Sore throat

Updated COVID-19 vaccines, which health officials say will offer protection from currently circulating and emerging variants, are now available. The CDC says everyone 6 months and older should get the updated COVID-19 vaccine.
The nonprofit Scripps Research was historically funded by the founders of the E.W. Scripps Company, which owns Scripps News.