A COVID-19 testing site is set up in a shopping district in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. [Photo by Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Cases of infection with the new COVID-19 variant 'XE,' a mix of Omicron and stealth Omicron, have been confirmed in the UK and Taiwan.
On the 2nd (local time), according to Taiwan's Central News Agency, Luo Yijun, Deputy Director of Taiwan's Epidemic Command Center, announced that one person who entered from the Czech Republic on the 18th of last month was infected with XE. The infected individual is asymptomatic, and Luo explained that due to the limited number of cases, it is currently difficult to compare the transmissibility with the existing Omicron variant.
XE is a hybrid form of the existing Omicron variant (BA.1) and the increasingly dominant stealth Omicron variant (BA.2). According to the weekly report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 29th of last month (local time), the XE recombinant was first detected in the UK on January 19. Since then, approximately 637 cases of XE infection have been confirmed in the UK.
Two cases of XE infection have also been reported in Israel. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz on March 17, the Israeli Ministry of Health announced that two travelers returning from overseas were infected with XE the previous day.
Considering that the transmissibility of BA.2 is 30-50% higher than that of BA.1, it is predicted that the transmissibility of the XE variant may be further enhanced.
Anthony Fauci, Director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), projected that the transmissibility of XE could be about 10% higher than that of BA.2.
However, the transmissibility and risk level of the XE variant have not yet been clarified, and further research is needed.
Meanwhile, experts believe that the COVID-19 virus will continue to evolve into variants with higher transmissibility rather than ending.
The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized that the end of COVID-19 is still far off and that continuous testing and self-diagnosis must be implemented.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently reported that while confirmed cases and deaths are decreasing worldwide and some countries have lifted restrictions, many countries in Asia and the Pacific are still experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
He also expressed concern about the reduction of testing in some countries, stating that this makes it impossible to know where the virus is and how it is spreading and evolving.
Director-General Tedros emphasized, "The COVID-19 virus continues to evolve, and until the epidemic ends everywhere, it is not over anywhere."
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