New COVID strain that may hit Australians this coming holidays
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As the festive season approaches, Australians look forward to celebrating with family and friends.
Still, a shadow looms on the horizon with the emergence of a new COVID-19 strain that experts warn could reach our shores by Christmas.
The strain, known as XEC, is raising concerns because it can potentially be more infectious than previous variants.
First detected in Germany in June, the XEC strain is a recombinant of two other sub-variants and has since been identified in 27 countries.
This rapid spread has put the global medical community on high alert.
Australian infectious diseases expert Dr Paul Griffin emphasised the need for vigilance, especially among those planning to travel abroad.
The XEC variant is a descendant of the Omicron strain and combines elements of the sub-variants KS.1.1 and KP.3.3.
While it's still early days, and speculation about the severity of symptoms is premature, Dr Griffin notes that the strain appears to have a significant growth advantage.
This suggested that it could be more adept at evading immunity and potentially more infectious.
The medical community closely monitors XEC to determine if it will be the next sub-variant to cause an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
‘The main thing about Covid is it's still quite unpredictable,’ Dr Griffin said.
‘There's a large number of factors that contribute to whether we see increased waves of transmission.’
As the Northern Hemisphere enters winter, conditions become more conducive to the spread of respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.
With international travel back in full swing, the risk of importing new cases into Australia increases.
‘The world is once again a very small place, and that activity does flow on to being imported into our country,’ Dr Griffin added.
‘We could have another wave of increased transmission in the next few weeks, or it could be months till we see that.’
The question of vaccine efficacy against XEC remains unanswered.
The World Health Organization and other regulatory bodies have agreed on an updated booster, JN.1, to combat emerging strains.
However, if XEC proves to be a significant threat, further updates to the vaccines may be necessary.
As of 29 August, no sequences of the XEC variant had been reported to Australia's genomic surveillance system.
However, the Interim Australian Centre for Disease Control and state and territory health departments are conducting targeted genomic sequencing to stay ahead of emerging variants.
In other news, earlier this year, Victoria experienced a new wave of COVID-19 driven by the JN.1 subvariant, leading to increased hospitalisations.
The seven-day average for hospitalisations has climbed to 377—substantially higher than before, yet still below last year's peak. You can read more about it here.
How will new COVID strains like XEC affect your holiday plans? What steps should Australians take as the festive season approaches? Let us know in the comments below.
Still, a shadow looms on the horizon with the emergence of a new COVID-19 strain that experts warn could reach our shores by Christmas.
The strain, known as XEC, is raising concerns because it can potentially be more infectious than previous variants.
First detected in Germany in June, the XEC strain is a recombinant of two other sub-variants and has since been identified in 27 countries.
This rapid spread has put the global medical community on high alert.
Australian infectious diseases expert Dr Paul Griffin emphasised the need for vigilance, especially among those planning to travel abroad.
A new COVID variant named XEC, potentially more infectious, is spreading globally and may arrive in Australia by Christmas. Credit: Shutterstock
The XEC variant is a descendant of the Omicron strain and combines elements of the sub-variants KS.1.1 and KP.3.3.
While it's still early days, and speculation about the severity of symptoms is premature, Dr Griffin notes that the strain appears to have a significant growth advantage.
This suggested that it could be more adept at evading immunity and potentially more infectious.
The medical community closely monitors XEC to determine if it will be the next sub-variant to cause an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
‘The main thing about Covid is it's still quite unpredictable,’ Dr Griffin said.
‘There's a large number of factors that contribute to whether we see increased waves of transmission.’
As the Northern Hemisphere enters winter, conditions become more conducive to the spread of respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.
With international travel back in full swing, the risk of importing new cases into Australia increases.
‘The world is once again a very small place, and that activity does flow on to being imported into our country,’ Dr Griffin added.
‘We could have another wave of increased transmission in the next few weeks, or it could be months till we see that.’
The question of vaccine efficacy against XEC remains unanswered.
The World Health Organization and other regulatory bodies have agreed on an updated booster, JN.1, to combat emerging strains.
However, if XEC proves to be a significant threat, further updates to the vaccines may be necessary.
As of 29 August, no sequences of the XEC variant had been reported to Australia's genomic surveillance system.
However, the Interim Australian Centre for Disease Control and state and territory health departments are conducting targeted genomic sequencing to stay ahead of emerging variants.
In other news, earlier this year, Victoria experienced a new wave of COVID-19 driven by the JN.1 subvariant, leading to increased hospitalisations.
The seven-day average for hospitalisations has climbed to 377—substantially higher than before, yet still below last year's peak. You can read more about it here.
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