“As of April 6, 2022, the Public Health Service of Canada (PHAC) has been aware of six scans of Omicron recombinant XE genealogy in Canada,” a PHAC spokesman wrote in an email. COVID-19 XE is a recombination of Omicron sub-variants BA.1 and BA.2. A recombinant virus is a combination of genetic material from two or more different viruses, in this case, the original Omicron variant and the more contagious “stealth Omicron”.
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The recombinant XE variant was first identified in the United Kingdom in mid-January and since then 637 cases have been identified in the country. Limited cases have also been reported in China and Thailand. The locations of the XE COVID-19 infections or how the infections occurred were not disclosed. The story goes on under the ad “This particular recombination, XE, has shown a variable growth rate and we can not yet confirm whether it has a real growth advantage,” said Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Advisor for the UK Health Insurance Agency. Trending Stories
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The World Health Organization (WHO), however, said the variant is believed to be 10 percent more contagious than the BA.2 variant. Recombinant viruses are a fairly common phenomenon, especially when multiple variants are circulating, according to Hopkins. He noted that recombinants have been discovered throughout the pandemic and, like other variants, tend to die quickly. 2: 106th wave COVID-19: Provinces deviate in meters, commands 6th wave COVID-19: Provinces deviate in measures, commands While provinces and territories have reduced or eliminated COVID-19 measures, the federal government monitoring program remains in place to identify different variants of COVID-19. In February 2021, the Government of Canada invested $ 53 million in an Anxiety Variation Strategy aimed at scaling up tracking, sequencing, and best detection variants. The story goes on under the ad “Scientists from the Public Health Service of Canada (PHAC), along with national and international experts, are actively monitoring and evaluating this recombinant subcategory and related studies,” said a PHAC spokesman. The spokesman confirmed that the body was examining evidence that “XE alters the severity of the disease, the contagion or the effectiveness of diagnostic tests, vaccines or treatments for COVID-19”. They noted the WHO finding that the variant is more contagious, but noted that more data is needed to confirm the levels of contagion. – with files from Reuters © 2022 Global News, part of Corus Entertainment Inc.
