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By Paul Griffin, The University of Queensland It seems every few weeks we hear about a new COVID variant, and it's hard to know how concerned we ought to be. A "recombinant" variant has emerged, dubbed "<keyword id="1609796" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="omicron" source="Orion">Omicron</keyword> XE", which is the result of two omicron strains merging together in a single host and then going on to infect others. So what do we know about this new hybrid, and do we need to worry? A bit about Omicron and its variants Omicron is a variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that was first discovered in Botswana on November 11 2021 and designated a variant of concern by the WHO on November 26. Since this time, it has been transmitted worldwide and replaced <keyword id="13452822" type="COMPANY" weightage="50" keywordseo="delta" source="Orion" meta.marketcap="5.23121" meta.tagname="Delta Industrial Resources Ltd" meta.tagpopularcount="0" meta.sectorid="542" meta.entitytype="company" meta.matchtype="exact" meta.aum="0" meta.entityid="2207" meta.tagseoname="delta-industrial-resources-ltd" meta.sector="Miscellaneous" meta.tagnameorg="Delta Industrial Resources Ltd.">Delta</keyword> to become the dominant variant. Omicron has since continued to evolve to have multiple different lineages, or genetically related subvariants. This includes the original Omicron BA.1 (B.1.1.529) and also BA.2 and BA.3. BA.2 is more infectious than BA.1 and has now taken over or outcompeted BA.1 to become the new dominant form of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide, with the WHO officially announcing this to be the case on March 22 2022. The differences we have seen with Omicron relative to previous variants are explained by the relatively large number of mutations it has acquired, with 60 mutations not found in the original virus arising from Wuhan, <keyword id="1334" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="china" source="Orion">China</keyword>. Among these mutations are 32 genetic changes in the spike protein. The spike protein is the part of the virus it uses to attach to human cells, as well as the target of the immune response against the virus, from both vaccines and prior infection. BA.2 shares many of these same mutations as the original Omicron variant, but also has 28 unique genetic changes of its own. Four of these genetic changes are in the spike protein, which explains why some of its characteristics are different to the original Omicron variant (BA.1), including the fact it appears to be approximately 30 to 50% more infectious than BA.1. What's a 'recombinant'? Just as we have seen new variants arise, followed by the evolution of subvariants or different lineages, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has continued to change in other ways as well. In recent times we have seen not just spontaneous changes in the genetic code that have accounted for the changes described above, but also so-called recombinants. A recombinant is where related viruses exchange genetic material to create offspring with genetic material from both parent viruses. This can arise when viruses of two different strains (or variants or subvariants) co-infect the same cell. The genetic material of the viruses can get mixed and packaged together to make a new recombinant virus, with properties of either or both parent viruses. The properties of the recombinant virus therefore depend on which parts of the genetic material from the parent viruses make it into the new version - just like you might have your mum's nose and your dad's knees. When Delta and Omicron recombine, the resulting progeny have been referred to as "Deltacron" (although more officially these are referred to as XD and XF). This type of recombinant was first identified in France in mid-February and seems to have a genetic sequence mostly the same as Delta, but with aspects of the spike protein from Omicron BA.1. So what is XE and where is it spreading? XE is a recombination of BA.1 and BA.2. There are many other BA.1 and BA.2 recombinants, including XQ in the UK, XG from Denmark, XJ from Finland and XK from Belgium. While XE still comprises a small proportion of total sequenced cases, it has shown evidence of community transmission, at least within England where it was first detected in mid-January. There have now been just over 1,100 cases recorded. It has also been identified in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>, China and Thailand. Initially the growth rate for XE appeared to not be significantly different from BA.2, but more recent data from the UK suggests it has a growth rate of around 10 to 20% above that of BA.2. This data remains preliminary and based on small numbers, so may change as we get more information. If it is true, then this means XE is likely to be slightly more contagious than BA.2, which was slightly more contagious than BA.1, which was more contagious than Delta. Do we need to worry? Our immune response that helps to protect against COVID-19 is generated by vaccination or from previous infection, and it mostly targets the spike protein. Given XE basically has the same spike protein as BA.2, it doesn't appear our protection against XE will be significantly reduced. While this is something public health agencies and expert groups certainly should monitor, and they are, it isn't really something that is unexpected given the number of cases we continue to see worldwide. So it shouldn't be a cause of extra concern for the general public. The best way to slow the emergence of new variants, as well as recombinants, remains having as many people in the world protected by vaccination to reduce the pool of susceptible hosts in which these events can occur. (This article is syndicated by PTI from The Conversation) SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/as-ghosting-haunts-employers-wounded-hr-representatives-take-to-linkedin-to-call-candidates-out-experts-call-it-unethical/articleshow/90868716.cms">As ‘ghosting’ haunts employers, wounded HR representatives take to Linkedin to call candidates out. Experts call it unethical</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/a-new-patent-reveals-apple-could-be-planning-to-make-its-own-game-controller/articleshow/90847523.cms">A new patent reveals Apple could be planning to make its own game controller</a>

What's the new Omicron XE variant and should I be worried?

<ul><li>The <keyword id="13537856" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="XE-strain" source="Orion">XE strain</keyword> was first detected in the UK on January 19 this year and till then over 600 cases have been reported.</li><li>The WHO further said that the transmission rate of this new variant is 10% faster than that of BA.2, which makes it the fastest transmissible mutant.</li><li>The new mutation has emerged when most countries are removing the <keyword id="8763838" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="COVID-19" source="Orion">COVID-19</keyword> restrictions and are reporting a decline in the daily number of cases.</li></ul>A new mutant strain of the <keyword id="1609796" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="omicron" source="Orion">Omicron</keyword> variant of COVID-19 or SARS CoV-2 is raising concerns in parts of the United Kingdom, which has a higher transmission rate, reportedly. The XE strain was first detected in the UK on January 19 this year and till then over 600 cases have been reported. The <keyword id="43588" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="world-health-organization" source="Orion">World Health Organization</keyword> said that it is a recombination of both BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron strains. The WHO further said that the transmission rate of this new variant is 10% faster than that of BA.2, which makes it the fastest transmissible mutant. “Early-day estimates indicate a community growth rate advantage of about 10% as compared to BA.2, however, this finding requires further confirmation,” said WHO in a statement. Earlier, Omicron was known to be the fastest transmitting mutation. However, to confirm this, WHO said that they require more facts and studies. The world health body has also kept this strain under the Omicron variant until any new major differences are established in terms of transmission, severity, or characteristics. However, on the other hand, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which tracks the COVID cases, has analysed three recombinants — XF, XE, and XD. It further informed that XD and XF are recombinants of Delta and Omicron BA.1, while XE is a recombinant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2. Recombination of variants happens only when a person gets infected with two or more variants at the same time, which further leads to the mixing of genetic material in the body. “The earliest of these has a specimen date of 19 January 2022. There is currently insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about growth advantage or other properties of this variant,” said UKHSA in a statement. Further commenting on the severity of the XE variant, WHO said, “XE continues to belong to the Omicron variant until significant differences in transmission and disease characteristics, including severity, may be reported.” WHO further said that they continue to closely monitor and assess the public health risk which are associated with the recombined variants and will also provide updates if further evidence is recorded. The new mutation has emerged when most countries are removing the COVID-19 restrictions and are reporting a decline in the daily number of cases. The third wave of the pandemic was triggered by the Omicron variant, which was comparatively less severe than the Delta variant, where people were largely suffering from normal cold, cough, and fever. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/26-ministers-resign-amidst-worst-economic-crisis-in-sri-lanka/articleshow/90636894.cms">26 ministers resign amidst worst economic crisis in Sri Lanka</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/grammys-2022-award-meet-falguni-shah-who-won-the-best-childrens-music-album-of-the-year-2022/slidelist/90634995.cms">Meet Falguni Shah who won the best children’s music album of the year award at the Grammy’s</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/petrol-and-diesel-prices-hiked-for-the-12th-time-in-two-weeks-in-india/articleshow/90632950.cms">Petrol and diesel prices hiked for the 12th time in two weeks</a>

The new XE mutant of the COVID-19 pandemic – all you need to know about it

<ul class="summary-list"><li>New, more infectious versions of COVID-19 are spreading in areas of the US.</li><li>The new subvariants are leading to a surge in cases along parts of the East Coast.</li></ul>The mayor of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eric-adams-tests-positive-for-covid-after-attending-gridiron-dinner-2022-4">New York</a>. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/house-speaker-nancy-pelosi-tests-positive-for-covid-19-2022-4">speaker</a> of the House. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/08/entertainment/sarah-jessica-parker-plaza-suite-covid/index.html">Sarah Jessica Parker</a>. They are just three of the many Americans who've recently caught COVID-19, in a wave of infections that's being blamed for <a href="https://playbill.com/article/off-broadways-americano-pauses-performances-and-sets-new-opening-night">cancelled</a> <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/04/broadway-covid-macbeth-daniel-craig-strange-loop-1234999864/">Broadway</a> <a href="https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/Lincoln-Center-Theater-Cancels-Performances-of-AT-THE-WEDDING-20220409">shows</a>, and a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0413-mask-order.html">prolonging of the federal mask mandate</a> for travel.It's almost certainly all because of viral evolution within <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions">Omicron</a>.<keyword id="11893194" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus" source="Orion">Coronavirus</keyword> cases are on a steady uptick along the Eastern Seaboard of the US, from <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/04/06/gridiron-dinner-covid-coronavirus-outbreak-superspreader/">Washington DC</a> to New York and <a href="https://www.mwra.com/biobot/biobotdata.htm">Boston</a>. The uptick is so pronounced that Philadelphia recently <a href="https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/watch-will-philly-reinstate-indoor-mask-mandate/3204175/">reinstituted its mask</a> mandate for public indoor spaces.The current case rates pale in comparison to those recorded in the initial <keyword id="12616996" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="omicron" source="Orion">Omicron</keyword> surge at the beginning of the year, but wastewater data — a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-check-covid-rates-in-your-area-3-simple-steps-2022-3">reliable way to track COVID</a> — suggests the level of virus circulating in the community is going back up to heights not seen <a href="https://www.mwra.com/biobot/biobotdata.htm">since early February</a> in many places on the East Coast. <div type="image" title="chart showing % of positive tests in manhattan on uptick since march" height="855" width="695" msid="90854609" hostid="261"></div>This uptick in the northeast is likely being driven by more infectious Omicron <a href="https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2022/2022-04-13_covid-19.htm">subvariants, which have evolved </a>further from the Omicron that was first detected in the US in late 2021. Though it might sound scary, this pace of reconfiguration and proliferation in the Omicron family, it's actually nothing unusual — viruses do this kind of mingling and reproducing all the time.In fact, it's possible that this could be a sign the virus is settling into a more predictable trajectory, and some experts say that could be good <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword>.<h2>The Omicron subvariants to know about, from BA.2 to XE</h2>Around the world, countries including Botswana, Belgium, and Denmark have detected other, highly infectious Omicron subvariants, such as <a href="https://www.afro.who.int/news/botswana-south-africa-deepen-probe-new-omicron-sub-variants">BA.3, BA.4, and BA.5</a>.In the UK, where case rates have been high in the past couple of months, virus trackers recently identified a <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-a-hybrid-covid-strain-behind-vietnams-latest-wave-not-exactly-161879">recombinant version</a> of Omicron — a mixture of BA.1 and BA.2 — called <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/covid-19-variants-identified-in-the-uk">XE.</a> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/covid-19-variants-identified-in-the-uk">It's unclear whether XE will ever spread</a> very far, and only <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/Has-omicron-XE-arrived-in-California-Here-s-17079018.php">a handful of XE cases</a> have been detected so far in the US.In the US, experts say the most prevalent coronavirus strains now are all versions of BA.2, which is responsible for about <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions">85% of cases</a> nationwide.<h2>Why new Omicron subvariants aren't necessarily a bad thing</h2>Omicron is, genetically speaking, quite different from other versions of the virus we've seen during the pandemic, and its emergence was impossible to predict. But now that Omicron is dominant, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/experts-predict-low-rates-ba2-omicron-variant-summer-fall-2022-4">experts are cautiously optimistic</a> that evolution of the virus may stay Omicron-specific for a little while.<div type="image" title="graphic showing how genetically related different SARS-CoV-2 variants are, with omicrons grouped together, far away from others like delta and beta" height="1016" width="1800" msid="90854610" hostid="261"></div>So far, the newly-detected Omicron subvariants are marginally more transmissible than BA.1, giving them an advantage on the viral playing field. But these subvariants don't seem to be any more dangerous to people, and aren't causing different symptoms. They're still Omicron relatives.Epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina <a href="https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/xe-and-why-we-may-want-omicron-to?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo2MDU0OTM4LCJwb3N0X2lkIjo1MTYyMDEyNiwiXyI6InZuK0pRIiwiaWF0IjoxNjQ5OTY0MjczLCJleHAiOjE2NDk5Njc4NzMsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yODEyMTkiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.H9cV8YNoYyVI82AmU6o4LWRTSWKNGUTl2gUfqjas0qI&amp;s=r">said in her newsletter last week</a> that continued viral evolution within Omicron "may be good news," for two key reasons:<ol><li>For now, an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/can-you-get-ba2-if-you-had-omicron-evidence-risk-2022-3">Omicron infection likely provides some pretty good temporary immunity</a> against other Omicrons, which means that since <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/next-omicron-wave-may-not-be-as-bad-in-us-2022-3">already more than half of the US has had the variant</a>, we <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/experts-predict-low-rates-ba2-omicron-variant-summer-fall-2022-4">may get a nice break from high COVID-19 case counts</a> over the next few months.</li><li>Continued evolution within Omicron would help us better prepare and plan. For the past two years, COVID-19 has been on an unpredictable tear, morphing from Alpha to Beta Delta and Omicron, without giving clear clues about whether it'll bear much resemblance to previous variants. If viral evolution drifts in a more predictable, flu-like pattern, it will become much easier to plan new vaccines and be ready to tackle the virus's next moves.</li></ol>We know that <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-on-covid-19---12-april-2022">99.2% of the SARS-CoV-2</a> virus that the world is dealing with is Omicron, and both cases and deaths are coming down. Vaccines and booster shots still work extremely well against this virus when it comes to severe outcomes, as do well-fitted respirators and face masks made from medical-grade materials. "I'm going to try my best to avoid it," Dr. <a href="https://video.snapstream.net/Play/aXaweut2IZ4a9Z4Zsbr1dg?accessToken=bes7lzn8q7ccm">Anthony Fauci told CNN's Kate Bolduan</a> on Wednesday of Omicron. "It will be out there, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-check-covid-rates-in-your-area-3-simple-steps-2022-3">I'm going to have to make risk assessments</a>. I'm vaccinated, I'm doubly boosted, and I'm not careless in what I do. Does that mean I'm not going to get infected? No. I think everyone has some degree of risk. The risk is not zero for anyone unless you stay in your room and don't come out."

What to know about the ultra-infectious Omicron subvariants circulating the US as COVID rates rise, Broadway shows pause, and a mask mandate returns

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What's the new Omicron XE variant and should I be worried?

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The new XE mutant of the COVID-19 pandemic – all you need to know about it

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What to know about the ultra-infectious Omicron subvariants circulating the US as COVID rates rise, Broadway shows pause, and a mask mandate returns

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