XEC COVID variant: How dangerous is it?

Published

3 months ago

October 16, 2024

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The new COVID variant XEC has been found by UK health experts as they prepare for winter, when cases tend to increase.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has highlighted a slight increase in hospitalisations amid COVID patients recently, with the admission rate at 4.5 per 100,000 people in the week to 6 October, up from 3.7 a week prior.

It is the fourth weekly rise in a row – and this, mixed with the UKHSA finding some XEC cases – has led to plenty of news coverage about the new variant.

It comes as a number of analysts on social media have tipped XEC to become the dominant strain and fuel a winter wave – but is it more of a threat than others?

The reality is that while the UKHSA is urging people to protect themselves from COVID generally, it has not “sounded the alarm” on XEC.

It has acknowledged that people may be concerned about new variants, adding around one in 10 of new cases it has analysed shows XEC lineage.

“Current information doesn’t suggest we should be more concerned about this variant but we are monitoring this closely,” says Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA.

What we know about XEC

XEC, like many other variants, is a part of the Omicron family.

It was first found in May, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which says it is a so-called recombinant of two other strains – KS.1.1 and KP.3.3 – meaning that genetic information was exchanged between them to form a third strain, XEC.

In its last COVID update on 9 October, the WHO said XEC was one of only two variants that was showing “increasing prevalence globally” between 19 August and 15 September – but it was still only responsible for a small percentage of cases, with KP.3.3 responsible for almost half of the cases worldwide.

In the UK, XEC was identified in 9.35% of COVID cases in samples taken by the UKHSA between 2 September 2024 and 15 September 2024, while 59.35% were identified as KP.3.3.

What is a variant?

When a virus enters a human cell and replicates itself, it has the potential to produce a mutation that leads to a new variant.

Variants that mutate with an advantage over other variants have the potential to be more dangerous to humans.

During the pandemic, thousands of COVID variants were identified – a large number of them by scientists in the UK.

The vast majority did not prove significant, and some just disappeared.

But, as people continue to be infected, experts say it is likely that the virus will have more opportunity to produce variants that will be able to fight back against our immune responses.

During the pandemic, scientists were concerned that as people develop immunity to one variant, the greater the likelihood that a mutation would occur that sidesteps our defences, and ends up as a more dangerous form of the virus.

What are the symptoms of XEC?

No health organisations have listed any symptoms specific to XEC.

It is said to have the same symptoms as other COVID variants, including:

• a high temperature
• a new, continuous cough
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
• shortness of breath
• feeling tired or exhausted
• an aching body
• a headache
• a sore throat
• a blocked or runny nose.

Health authorities advise staying at home and avoiding contact with other people if you or your child have symptoms.

How can you protect yourself?

While the UKHSA isn’t sounding the alarm on XEC specifically, it is expecting COVID to circulate more in the winter, along with flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), calling them the “three main winter threats”.

If you are eligible to get vaccinated against them, now is the time to do so, says Dr Bernal.

All adults aged 65 and over are able to receive both the latest COVID booster vaccination and this year’s flu jab, along with residents in older adult care homes and people with underlying health conditions aged six months to 64 years.

Both vaccinations are also being offered to frontline health and social care staff, with employees in older adult care homes eligible for the COVID jab.

The NHS is also offering for the first time a vaccination against RSV, a common cause of coughs and colds, which can be dangerous to older people and young children.

The jab is available to people aged 75 to 79 as well as pregnant women from 28 weeks, to protect their child.

UK

Police search for missing sisters last seen three days ago near Aberdeen river

Published

8 hours ago

January 10, 2025

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Police search for missing sisters last seen three days ago near Aberdeen river

Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago.

Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday.

The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right onto a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.

Police Scotland has launched a major search and said it is carrying out “extensive inquires” in an effort to find the women.

Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Local officers, led by specialist search advisors, are being assisted by resources including police dogs and our marine unit.”

Aberdeenshire Drone Services told Sky News it has offered to help in the search and is waiting to hear back from Police Scotland.

The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.

Police said the Torry side of Victoria Bridge where the sisters were last seen contains many commercial and industrial units, with searches taking place in the vicinity.

The force urged businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of Tuesday in case it captured anything of significance.

Drivers with relevant dashcam footage are also urged to come forward.

CI Bruce added: “We are continuing to speak to people who know Eliza and Henrietta and we urge anyone who has seen them or who has any information regarding their whereabouts to please contact 101.”

UK

Britain’s gas storage levels ‘concerningly low’ after cold snap, says owner of British Gas

Published

8 hours ago

January 10, 2025

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Britain's gas storage levels 'concerningly low' after cold snap, says owner of British Gas

Britain’s gas storage levels are “concerningly low” with less than a week of demand in store, the operator of the country’s largest gas storage site said on Friday.

Plunging temperatures and high demand for gas-fired power stations are the main factors behind the low levels, Centrica said.

The UK is heavily reliant on gas for its home heating and also uses a significant amount for electricity generation.

As of the 9th of January 2025, UK storage sites are 26% lower than last year’s inventory at the same time, leaving them around half full,” Centrica said.

“This means the UK has less than a week of gas demand in store.”

The firm’s Rough gas storage site, a depleted field off England’s east coast, makes up around half of the country’s gas storage capacity.

Gas storage was already lower than usual heading into December as a result of the early onset of winter.

Combined with stubbornly high gas prices, this has meant it has been more difficult to top up storage over Christmas.

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UK

UK’s first taxpayer-funded injection room to open in radical move to tackle drugs epidemic

Published

8 hours ago

January 10, 2025

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UK's first taxpayer-funded injection room to open in radical move to tackle drugs epidemic

Glasgow has been a city crying out for solutions to a devastating drugs epidemic that is ravaging people hooked on deadly narcotics.

We have spent time with vulnerable addicts in recent months and witnessed first-hand the dirty, dangerous street corners and back alleys where they would inject their £10 heroin hit, not knowing – or, in many cases, not caring – whether that would be the moment they die.

“Dying would be better than this life,” one man told me.

It was a grim insight into the daily reality of life in the capital of Europe’s drug death crisis.

Scotland has a stubborn addiction to substances spanning generations. Politicians of all persuasions have failed to properly get a grip of the emergency.

But there is a new concept in town.

From Monday, a taxpayer-funded unit is allowing addicts to bring their own heroin and cocaine and inject it while NHS medical teams supervise.

It may be a UK-first but it is a regular feature in some other major European cities that have claimed high success rates in saving lives.

Glasgow has looked on with envy at these other models.

One supermarket car park less than a hundred metres from this new facility is a perfect illustration of the problem. An area littered with dirty needles and paraphernalia. A minefield where one wrong step risks contracting a nasty disease.

It is estimated hundreds of users inject heroin in public places in Glasgow every week. HIV has been rife.

The new building, which will be open from 9am until 9pm 365 days a year, includes bays where clean needles are provided as part of a persuasive tactic to lure addicts indoors in a controlled environment.

There is a welcome area where people will check in before being invited into one of eight bays. The room is clinical, covered in mirrors, with a row of small medical bins.

We were shown the aftercare area where users will relax after their hit in the company of housing and social workers.

The idea is controversial and not cheap – £2.3m has been ring-fenced every year.

Authorities in the city first floated a ‘safer drug consumption room’ in 2016. It failed to get off the ground as the UK Home Office under the Conservatives said they would not allow people to break the law to feed habits.

The usual wrangle between Edinburgh and London continued for years with Downing Street suggesting Scotland could, if it wanted, use its discretion to allow these injecting rooms to go ahead.

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The stalemate ended when Scotland’s most senior prosecutor issued a landmark decision that it would not be in the public interest to arrest those using such a facility.

One expert has told me this new concept is unlikely to lead to an overall reduction in deaths across Scotland. Another described it as an expensive vanity project. Supporters clearly disagree.

The question is what does success look like?

The big test will be if there is a spike in crime around the building and how it will work alongside law enforcement given drug dealers know exactly where to find their clients now.

It is not disputed this is a radical approach – and other cities across Britain will be watching closely.