Health officials have warned that the Omicron XE strain is more transmissible than previous variants, which is still being detected in the UK. Omicron XE, which is a sub-variant and "recombiant" variant, was first detected in the UK in January and there has been 1,179 cases so far.
The World Health Organisation explained: "Early-day estimates indicate a community growth rate advantage of 10 per cent as compared to BA.2, however this finding requires further confirmation. XE belongs to the Omicron variant until significant differences in transmission and disease characteristics, including severity, may be reported."
Omicron have been milder than other strains of coronavirus, with hospitalisations much lower. The XE strain is the combination of Omicron strains BA.1, which dominated over the Christmas period and the BA.2 which is currently the most dominant.
