A New Covid Variant Has Been Confirmed In The UK - Here's What To Look Out For

A total of 637 cases of a new Covid variant have been confirmed in the UK

Isobel Pankhurst

Published 12:36 4 Apr 2022 GMT+1Updated 14:14 4 Apr 2022 GMT+1

A new covid variant, XE, has emerged in parts of the UK according to the The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSCA).

XE is a mutation of the BA.1. and BA.2. Omicron strains. There are currently 637 confirmed cases of this new variant.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says that there is currently "insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about growth advantage or other properties" but that they will continue to monitor the situation.

The new variant is a mutation of two strains of the Omicron variant(

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Reportedly, growth rates for XE were not significantly different from BA.2., but according to the most recent data it now has a growth rate 9.8 per cent higher than that of BA.2.

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According to the ZOE covid study, BA.2. is thought to be attacking the gut, with patients reporting different symptoms to previous strains.

These new symptoms include:

Nausea
Diarrhoea
Vomiting
Abdominal pain
Heartburn
Bloating

A previous ZOE study said diarrhoea had been noted as a symptom for covid-19, but it was deemed a "less well-known" sign of the virus compared to other symptoms.

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Professor Susan Hopkins, the UKHSA's chief medical advisor transition lead spoke to The Sun about the XE variant saying:

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"This particular recombinant, XE, has shown a variable growth rate and we cannot yet confirm whether it has a true growth advantage. So far there is not enough evidence to draw conclusions about transmissibility, severity or vaccine effectiveness."

The UKHSA report added: “XE shows evidence of community transmission within England, although it is currently less than one per cent of total sequenced cases.”