LOS ANGELES — Even as the highly contagious omicron subvariant BA.2 is increasingly dominating California and the U.S., an even more potentially contagious subvariant, XE, has attracted the attention of global scientists.
Early estimates as noted by the World Health Organization say XE may be 10% more transmissible than BA.2, but it's too soon to say whether XE will become the next prolific omicron subvariant that will become another household name. The British government has also noted that data showing XE's growth rate advantage over BA.2 have not remained consistent, so more data will be needed to assess XE's likely future trajectory.
XE was first detected in Britain on Jan. 19, the WHO said. And more than 700 cases of XE have been reported in Britain, with more than 600 of them in England, according to British authorities.
