Nearly 1,300 cases of a new Covid variant have been identified by scientists in the UK. The UK Health Security Agency has updated its records to include the new mutation, registered as V-22APR-02, with cases having doubled in a month.
The strain, understood to be a combination of two Omicron variants, was previously named Omicron XE. There are understood to be 1,293 officially cases in England and one in Northern Ireland.
Omicron XE is one of three 'recombinants' the UKHSA has been investigating. Recombinants occur when two strains of Covid combine to create a new variant.
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The UKHSA has been investigating variants XF, XE and XD. XE is a combination of two strains of Omicron - BA.1 and BA.2. XE was first detected in the UK on January 19 this year.
Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Advisor, UKHSA said: "Recombinant variants are not an unusual occurrence, particularly when there are several variants in circulation, and several have been identified over the course of the pandemic to date. As with other kinds of variant, most will die off relatively quickly.
"This particular recombinant, XE, has shown a variable growth rate and we cannot yet confirm whether it has a true growth advantage. So far there is not enough evidence to draw conclusions about transmissibility, severity or vaccine effectiveness.
"UKHSA will continue to monitor the situation closely as a matter of routine, as we do all data relating to SARS-CoV-2 variants both in the UK and internationally."
A small number of cases of XF were found in the UK although it seems to have gone by February. No cases of XD have been found in the country.
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