Omicron XE: What we know about the new subvariant

Health officials are tracking a new Omicron subvariant, classified as the XE, a hybrid of two previously identified subvariants. CTVNews.ca looks at what we know so far about the XE subvariant.

Since South African scientists first identified Omicron more than four months ago, multiple subvariants have evolved, including BA.2 which is currently circulating in Canada and elsewhere around the world. Here is what we know so far about the XE subvariant:

The XE is a recombinant of BA.1, which drove Canada’s fifth wave during the winter holidays and throughout January, and BA.2, which is fueling the current sixth wave. There were 1,125 cases of XE in England as of April 5, making up less than one per cent of total sequences, according to a technical briefing issued by the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on April 8.

In addition to mutations from BA.1 and BA.2, XE also contains three mutations that are not present in all sequences for BA.1 and BA.2, according to the U.K. report.

“Recombinant variants are not an unusual occurrence, particularly when there are several variants in circulation,” Dr. Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser for the UKHSA, said in a statement on March 25.