‘Frankenstein’ Omicron subvariant XE detected in UK, India and Thailand
By Joshua Rhett Miller
April 7, 2022 1:17pm
A “Frankenstein”-style new Omicron subvariant is spreading in the UK — and some experts fear the mutation may be the most contagious form yet of COVID-19.
The XE variant — which has also been confirmed in India and Thailand — is a mix of Omicron’s BA.1 strain and the new “stealth” BA.2 form, the Daily Beast reported.
Such mutations are known as “recombinants,” and occur when a person gets infected with two or more variants at a time and they combine “Frankenstein” style, the outlet reported.
A total of 637 cases of the XE recombinant variant have been confirmed in the UK, according to data from the UK Health Security Agency.
It’s unclear whether XE causes more severe illness or evades vaccines, though early data suggests that it may be more transmissible than earlier forms of the Omicron virus.
“Early estimates suggest that XE has a community growth rate advantage of 1.1 (which represents a 10% transmission advantage) as compared to BA.2,” the World Health Organization said.
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https://nypost.com/2022/04/07/frankenstein-covid-19-omicron-subvariant-xe-detected-in-uk/