The cold season is undoubtedly that of flu, colds and various viruses. Currently, scientists are studying the likelihood of large-scale spread of the new variant of Covid, XECbelonging to the family Omicron.
For several weeks, COVID contaminations are on the rise in Europe. The Belgium does not escape this trend and would even be part of 27 countries where the new strain has been detected. Should we be worried though? Nothing is certain yet, but it remains essential to continue to protect yourself.
The new XEC variant in the sights of the scientific community
Winter is approaching in Belgium, and with it, COVID contaminations are on the rise again, while a new variant has been circulating for several months. Indeed, while the circulation of the coronavirus is intensifying and the indicators are increasing, the scientific community is closely monitoring a variant that appeared in June 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
The XEC variant, which is gaining ground in Europewas reported by Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, in a statement reported by La Voix du Nord. Since its appearance, this new strain was detected in BelgiumDenmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France and the United States. In all, it has been reported in 27 countries, according to Mike Honey, a data scientist specializing in the virus.
According to Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California, interviewed by The Los Angeles Times, XEC has a growth advantage and could well become the next threat the population will face. XEC could thus quickly surpass KP.3.1.1, the hyper-infectious sub-variant currently the most widespread nationally.
No cause for alarm yet
Although this variant is spreading rapidly, the number of XEC detections remains limited at the momentaccording to the ECDC. So far, XEC represents approximately 1% of samples sequenced in several European countries, including Belgiumaccording to data from the American Scripps Research Institute.
For the ECDC, XEC therefore does not yet meet the criteria to be classified as a variant of concern by public health authorities. However, it is important to note that this variant has similarities with other strains of the virus, with identical symptoms and a comparable level of severity.
