New COVID strain that may hit Australians this coming holidays

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.


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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.
Key Takeaways
  • A new Covid variant named XEC, which is 'potentially more infectious', is spreading globally and may hit Australia by Christmas.
  • XEC is a recombinant descendant of the Omicron Covid strain, first detected in Germany and reported in 27 countries.
  • Experts, including Australian infectious diseases specialist Dr Paul Griffin, closely monitor the variant and assess vaccine efficacy against it.
  • Australian health authorities have not identified the XEC variant in the country as of the latest reports, but the Department of Health continues to monitor emerging COVID-19 variants closely.
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.
 
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Well all i can say is i have had all covid vac and boosters and have never had covid in all these yrs but all my family and friends have had it some many times😁
Same with my husband and myself. The nurse at our GP clinic said “oh you’ve probably had it and didn’t know” but, touch wood, we haven’t really been sick with anything. Apart from I had a virus and my doctor said it definitely wasn’t Covid. We certainly haven’t hidden ourselves away either. My husband spent time in the UK and I have been to several large arena concerts in Melbourne and we both got nothing
 
Stop the SCAREMONGERING rubbish.
I have lost count of the number of so called new strains that are more infectious and dangerous than the last one and not one of them has killed off the human race yet!
Funny how they all seem to appear at Christmas, Easter, school holidays etc.
The virus just seems to know when to strike .
Maybe we should just lock down the State over Christmas so we can all survive.
 
I have not had the vaccine and I also have not had Covid!
I also haven’t injected the time bomb “vaccines into my body!”

All fear mongering for those not awake to what's going on.
I am a 72ýo male & i have NEVER had a flu injection & i have only had the flu about 4 times in my entire life, i have only had the first injection for covid 19 & now i thin"k it's just a waste of time trying to find a chemist fòr the rest of the iñjections, If covid does get me well "GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD" LOL
 
I am a 72ýo male & i have NEVER had a flu injection & i have only had the flu about 4 times in my entire life, i have only had the first injection for covid 19 & now i thin"k it's just a waste of time trying to find a chemist fòr the rest of the iñjections, If covid does get me well "GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD" LOL
So why did you bother having the first poison when you haven’t been sick?
 
Your journalism is as predictable as death and taxes.

First the scaremongering, then wait for it..."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."

There is an ever-growing body of people who no longer trust the WHO (or the WEF).

I ask that you report BOTH sides of every story. At least provide to the people what is in '...an updated booster' and maybe a list of any side effects so we can make an informed choice?

As for the 377 hospitalisations, again I ask that you report how many of these are currently vaccinated for COVID-19.
 
Your journalism is as predictable as death and taxes.

First the scaremongering, then wait for it..."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."

There is an ever-growing body of people who no longer trust the WHO (or the WEF).

I ask that you report BOTH sides of every story. At least provide to the people what is in '...an updated booster' and maybe a list of any side effects so we can make an informed choice?

As for the 377 hospitalisations, again I ask that you report how many of these are currently vaccinated for COVID-19.
Unfortunately, the vaccine does not prevent a person from getting this insidious disease. However, it can reduce the probability that a person will need to be treated in a hospital for more serious and often lethal complications. I have had several vaccinations, and I have reacted to the vaccine each time. I am dammed if I have the vaccine and dammed if I don't. Being 4 weeks premature and born with Pneumonia my lungs are scared and I need to take every precaution I can. I have had several bouts of Pneumonia one which required several weeks hospitalization on a ventilator. Not everyone is so lucky to be the shining example of fitness and good health, walking around getting the occasional cough and sniffle.
 
I've had Covid 3 times . The 2nd time was the worst .
I have to say my last covid was a year ago, and I've had asthma ever since.

Most of my adult children have had covid, some with nearly no symptoms and others really sick in bed for a few days.

My daughter is a nurse and caught her first covid from a patient, and only a year ago

What she has seen over just the last year is a lot of elderly patients admitted with covid and die.
There are now no covid wards. They are put in normal wards.

People should still be practising hygiene eg hand washing ect and if you have even a flu try to stay home. If you are coughing or sneezing do it into your arm.

Maybe if people do the right thing then Covid and flu's won't spread as much.

It's not just Covid we need to worry about but other flu's like Influenza A and B. My kids got more sicker with these
 
Same with my husband and myself. The nurse at our GP clinic said “oh you’ve probably had it and didn’t know” but, touch wood, we haven’t really been sick with anything. Apart from I had a virus and my doctor said it definitely wasn’t Covid. We certainly haven’t hidden ourselves away either. My husband spent time in the UK and I have been to several large arena concerts in Melbourne and we both got nothing
I have been immunised but have still been very sick with covid.
 

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