A newly identified COVID-19 subvariant, XEC, is rapidly spreading across Europe, capturing global health authorities’ attention. Initially discovered in Germany, XEC has since been reported in the Netherlands and other Western European regions. Health professionals are monitoring XEC closely, as it could potentially surpass the currently dominant subvariant, KP.3.1.1, which is prevalent in the US.
As reported by ndtv.com, a physician from California noted that XEC is “just getting started” and may take several weeks to months before it significantly impacts both global and domestic case numbers. While XEC appears to be emerging as a major variant, experts suggest it will be some time before it becomes highly prevalent. The *Los Angeles Times* reported that XEC has been detected in the US but is still at low levels and not yet specifically tracked by the CDC’s variant tracker. The CDC only tracks lineages that account for more than 1% of cases nationally over a two-week period.
The anticipated midyear wave began in May, following the dominance of the winter variant JN.1, which was succeeded by several subvariants known as FLiRT, named after key mutations F456L and R346T. According to Topol, “the FLiRT eventually gave way to new variants with even greater growth advantages.”