New corona variant found in Britain more infectious than Omicron says WHO
A new variant of the corona virus has been found in Britain. Its name has been given XE. UK health officials have said that it is 10 percent more contagious than Omicron’s BA-2. Until now, BA-2 was considered to be the most infectious of all the COVID-19 variants. The newly identified XE variant BA.1 and BA.2 are derived from the Omicron family. Its mutation is said to be more dangerous. As per the preliminary study, the XE variant has a infection rate of 9.8 per cent over the BA.2. Britain’s Health Protection Agency (UKHSCA) has said that it is difficult to identify, only then it is also known to be a very dangerous and strong variant.
As of 2 March, 637 new cases have been reported in the UK. So far most of the cases are coming from East England, London and South East.
There has been a record increase in COVID-19 cases in the UK in the past week. The Office for National Statistics said one out of every 13 people had the virus as of March 26. However, the XE variant has been found in less than 1% of the total infected cases.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has said in its report that the latest variant may be more transmissible than the previous one. Two more hybrid strains have also been detected in the UK. They are XD and XF. Whereas the XD is a variant between the BA.1 family of French Delta and Omicron variants. The XF UK evolved from the Delta and BA.1 lineages.
