A new, potentially more transmissible type of covid is doing the rounds thanks to a combination of two Omicron strains.
More than 600 cases of the XE strain of Omicron have been identified in the UK since it was first detected here in mid-January. It has sparked concern as far away as New Zealand and the USA, with a case detected near Shanghai, a city where 26 million people are currently under lockdown due to surging covid cases.
While Omicron itself is a mutation of a previous covid variant, the strain known as XE is a 'recombinant' of the original Omicron BA.1 strain and its BA.2 subvariant. Recombination occurs when someone is infected with two strains that then evolve to share characteristics, rather than one strain mutating while in an infected body.
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Little is known about the XE variant due to how new it is, and it is so far unclear whether it causes any different symptoms. But India's The Economic Times reports it spreads 10 times easier than Omicron and, unlike that strain, comes with the classic loss of smell and taste.
The World Health Organisation is less certain in its assessment of the recombinant, saying: "Early-day estimates indicate a community growth rate advantage of 10% 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."
Aside from the potential for XE to disrupt our senses, the reported symptoms remain largely the same, including fever, sore or scratchy throat, and a cough. Most covid symptoms, like runny nose and sneezing, are similar to other illnesses like flus and colds, according to the NHS.
The health service updated its list of covid symptoms this week, confirming nine extra symptoms of coronavirus on top of the existing three, which were a high temperature, a loss or change to the sense of smell or taste, and a new, continuous cough. The nine additional symptoms listed are:
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling tired or exhausted
- An aching body
- A headache
- A sore throat
- A blocked or runny nose
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhoea
- Feeling sick or being sick
