Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Apr 12: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today said XE variant is unlikely to cause a new wave of COVID-19.
In a statement issued here, DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan said that the new variant is not a cause of concern for us and there is no need to worry about it
“First detected in the United Kingdom in January 2022, XE is a recombinant variant, which means it is a hybrid version of two most prevalent Omicron strains – BA.1 and BA.2,” he said.
Dr Nisar said most of our population has already been exposed to these variants in the third wave which was triggered initially by BA.1 and later by BA.2. Almost all people have antibodies against these sub-variants by way of prior infection, he added.
“With high vaccination rates and natural immunity, the possibility of having a wave due to this variant is less,” he said
The DAK President said the fact that there has been no significant increase in the incidence of the XE variant since its detection 3 months ago shows that it is not something to be bothered about.
“Recombinant variants are not an unusual occurrence, particularly when there are several variants in circulation,” said Dr Nisar.
Two other recombinant variants – XD and XF which are combinations of Delta and Omicron have also been identified.
He said recombinants tend to last for a lesser time. Virus fitness does not increase by a recombinant event.
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