The World Health Organization (WHO) last week notified the second recombinant virus XE, which is a combination strain of two subvariants of the Omicron strain i.e. BA.1 and BA.2. Although the severity of infection caused by the strain is not yet understood, WHO has already notified that it is 10 times more transmissible than BA. And with such variants detected, there have been warnings by the WHO and other experts to be alert for certain symptoms to avoid infection.
What is XE recombinant virus?
XE is a recombinant virus notified by the World Health Organization. It is a combination virus of Omicron BA.1 and Omicron BA.2.
Recently, a study by the UK Health Protection Agency (UKHSA) recently revealed that there are currently 3 hybrid COVID variants in the running. There are two different combinations of Delta and BA.1 XD and XF. The third one is EXE.
What are the symptoms of covid to watch for?
The symptoms and severity of the COVID-19 virus vary from person to person, depending on one’s immunization status and the immunity acquired from prior infections. For some the symptoms may be mild and for others they may be severe.
Some of the symptoms to look out for include – fever, sore throat, sore throat, cough and cold, skin irritation and discoloration, gastrointestinal distress, etc. Some symptoms of serious diseases can be heart disease, palpitations and sometimes even viruses. Cause of serious nervous diseases.
What did the WHO say about recombinant XE?
The World Health Organization (WHO) in its latest update said that the XE recombinant was first detected in the UK on 19 January and since then more than 600 sequences have been reported and confirmed.
“Estimates for the opening day indicate a community growth rate advantage of 10% as compared to BA.2. However, this finding needs further confirmation.”
The Geneva-based United Nations Health Agency said XE is related to the omicron variant, unless significant differences in transmission and disease characteristics, including severity, can be reported.
“WHO continues to closely monitor and assess the public health risk associated with recombinant variants, as with other SARS-CoV-2 variants, and will provide updates as further evidence becomes available,” it said.
What are other recombinant viruses?
Apart from XE, there are two other viruses XD and XF.
- XD is the new name for the French Delta x BA.1 lineage. It contains the spike protein of BA.1 and the rest of the genome of Delta. It currently consists of as many as 10 sequences.
- The XF is a UK Delta x BA.1 Lineage. It contains the spike and structural proteins from BA.1 but the 5′ portion of its genome from the delta. It currently includes several tens of sequences.
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