WHO records new SARS-CoV-2 variant

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Last Updated03/04/2022

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has flagged the emergence of a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the XE recombinant, in the United Kingdom
It will possibly have a higher rate of transmission

It is being named as XE by the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which tracks SARS-CoV-2 variants
It is a recombinant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2.
A recombinant variant occurs when an individual becomes infected with two or more variants at the same time, leading to a mixing of genetic material in the human body.
Several such recombinants have emerged in the past during the pandemic.

Currently, there are four variants of concern identified.
They have been named Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta by the World Health Organisation (WHO)

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Delta variant: it is the name given to the SARS-Cov-2 virus variant first identified in India by Indian scientists.
It is also called SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 and has about 15 – 16 mutations.
It was first reported in October 2020 in India
Another variant of concern added later was Omicron variant
It was first reported from South Africa.
The Omicron variant, like other variants, comprises a number of lineages and sublineages.
The three most common lineages of Omicron currently are BA.1, BA.1.1 and BA.2.

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