Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are firmly in the midst of cold and flu season and with that a new COVID-19 variant is making the headlines.   According to the CDC Data Tracker, there has been an uptick in reported cases involving the XEC variant. 

While the variant KP 3.1.1 continues to account for the majority of cases in both the US and worldwide, those involving XEC are steadily rising.  XEC was responsible for approximately 11 percent of reported cases in the two-week period ending on October 12, 2024–up from 5 percent the two-week period before. (Though overall trends seem to suggest cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all, thankfully, on the decline.)

The XEC variant was first reported in Germany over the summer, making it still relatively new. At the time of writing, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control  (ECDC) states there is not sufficient evidence to confirm whether it is any more or less transmissible or severe than other variants.

However, medical experts writing in The Conversation have pointed out to the spike in cases suggesting it is spreading more quickly than other variants and could, potentially, overtake KP 3.1.1 to become the dominant variant. 

This echoes what Francois Balloux, Director of the Genetics Institute at University College London told the BBC–XEC has a “slight transmission advantage” over some of the other variants currently circulating. 

So, what do we know about XEC? According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), XEC derives from the Omnicron variant and seems to be the result of a recombination between KS.1.1 and KP 3.3–a process that can occur when a person is infected with more than one strain. 

Symptoms to look out for appear to be similar to previous COVID-19 strains. As per the CDC, these include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, changes to taste or smell, fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea.

It is worth highlighting the fact that we are seeing a new variant of COVID-19 is not unusual. As the CDC points out, the virus is constantly mutating. This means while new strains will emerge, others will fade away. 

And as we head into winter, there is a scientifically proven way to protect yourself from the worst effects of COVID-19 (and a potential “tripledemic”): vaccination. The CDC advises COVID-19 vaccines for anyone 6 months and older. Booster shots each year can enhance protection–indeed, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) linked a drop in the number of people who had been recently vaccinated to a rose in COVID-19 cases this summer.