The new Covid variant XEC is on the road to become the new dominant strain, beating its predecessors with its increased infectibility. In addition to being more efficient in infecting people, experts have observed that the recombinant variant of descendants of JN. 1 strain is displaying more intense flu-like symptoms with a high temperature, a cough, aching body, and headache, something which could make people exhausted and 'wipe them out'. This is raising concern as the flu season is about to begin which could make things difficult for people with low immunity and other vulnerable population groups.
All about XEC variant
The new Covid-19 variant XEC has a bunch of additional mutations, which means it is more infectious than other strains. While the variant originated in Germany, it is spreading fast in the US, UK , China, Poland, Norway, Luxembourg, Ukraine, and Portugal. XEC is a recombinant of KS.1.1 and KP.3.3. Both KS.1.1 and KP.3.3 are descendants of the JN.1 strain.
XEC is more flu-like than others: Expert
"We could well be seeing the new Covid variant in practice. At the moment, it seems to be a bit more flu-like than previous iterations of Covid, with a high temperature, a cough, aching body, headache," said GP Dr Helen Wall, clinical director of population health in Greater Manchester.
Wall said while the previous strains were more of cough and cold symptoms, "but at the moment, Covid does seem to be wiping people out."
Flu, RSV and Covid may take over soon
However, she says that it is difficult to say whether that's Covid as a lot of the symptoms blur together with other illnesses, prevalent at this time of the year.
"Whether it's Covid versus flu is hard to separate. People who have the flu tend to be extremely unwell. Sometimes, people say they've got the flu but have actually got a bad cold. Generally, if you've got true flu, you're bed bound. With Covid, you might actually be quite well. You might be coughing and having other symptoms, but able to go about your business and you might be unintentionally spreading it to people who are vulnerable," the expert said.
A host of respiratory infections start spreading with the onset of winters from flu, Covid to RSV. It's difficult to recognize symptoms as they tend to overlap. It's important to get the RSV vaccine, Covid and flu shots to avoid infections.
Symptoms of XEC
All the recent variants have originated from Omicron and their symptoms mostly include fever or chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose, loss of taste or smell, difficulty in breathing, muscle and body pain, headache, nausea, and diarrhea.
The pandemic is over, but Covid is here to stay as evident with the fresh wave of infections and new symptoms. It's important to stay updated with the vaccines and not underestimate the virus. Social distancing measures and taking care of health is crucial.
