First infection of new XE Covid variant detected in Australia

Australia’s first case of a new and highly transmissible Covid variant has been detected in a recently returned overseas traveller. Here’s what you need to know.

A new Covid variant has been detected in Australia for the first time as leading experts warn of more to come.

NSW has reported a case of Omicron XE infection brought in by an overseas traveller.

The state was also the first to report a case of another recombinant strain dubbed Deltacron, with that variant spreading two Queensland within 24 hours of being detected.

There are fears a further relaxing rules for international arrivals will see more - and potentially deadlier - variants enter the country.

More than a thousand cases of XE have been recorded in the UK where it was first detected and cases have also been detected in Thailand, India and Israel.

It’s presence around the world suggests it has been spread by open borders and international travel.

The new variant is a combination of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

From Monday, international arrivals will no longer need to test negative to Covid-19 before leaving for Australia, meaning more cases of new variants could arrive in the country.

“As the Covid pandemic has progressed, we’ve repeatedly seen the arrival of new viral variants,” University of Leeds virologist Grace Roberts wrote in The Conversation.

While the properties of XE are not yet well known, Dr Roberts said there did not appear to be cause for additional concern.

“We know that Omicron XE has the majority of its genetic information, including the spike protein, from the Omicron sub-variant BA.2, which is the variant predominating in the UK at the moment,” she said.

“It is likely, therefore, that the characteristics of Omicron XE (such as transmissibility, severity of disease and vaccine efficacy) are similar to those of BA.2.”

With continued international arrivals comes the risk of more, potentially deadlier strains arriving in Australia. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

The World Health Organisation is keeping an eye on a new strain of the Covid-19 Omicron variant which appears to be 10 per cent more transmissible than the Omicron variant.

The United Kingdom‘s Health Security Agency has said it is monitoring XE along with two other recombinants, XD and XF, which are made up of the Delta and BA.1 strains.

Meanwhile, China reported 13,000 Covid cases on Sunday, the most since the peak of the first pandemic wave over two years ago, as health officials said they have detected the new strain in the Shanghai area.

A delivery man wearing personal protective equipment delivering food bought for residents who were restricted due to a recent Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak in China. Picture: AFP

Officials in Suzhou, a city 30 minutes west of Shanghai, have detected a mutation of the Omicron variant not found in local or international databases, state media reported on Sunday.

“This means a new variant of Omicron has been discovered locally,” Xinhua said, citing health official Zhang Jun, deputy director of the Suzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here is what we know so far about the new variant.

WHAT IS THE NEW VARIANT?

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSCA) said it was studying XE – a mutation of the BA. 1 and BA. 2 Omicron strains, referred to as a “recombinant”.

The new strain was first detected in the UK as of January 19 this year and is the most dominant strain at present, accounting for about 86 per cent of all the recent Covid cases.

The prevalence of Covid-19 in the UK has reached record levels, with about 1 in 13 people estimated to be infected with the virus in the past week, according to the latest figures.

Members of the public walk past a Covid-19 inspired poster on London's underground in London, England. Picture: Getty Images

Professor Susan Hopkins, the UKHSA’s chief medical Adviser transition lead, said that recombinant variants are not uncommon and usually die off “relatively quickly”.

“This particular recombinant, XE, has shown a variable growth rate and we cannot yet confirm whether it has a true growth advantage,“ Ms Hopkins said.

“So far there is not enough evidence to draw conclusions about transmissibility, severity or vaccine effectiveness.”

IS IT MORE CONTAGIOUS?

Despite UK experts saying it is too soon to determine its transmissibility than previous strains, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned XE may be the he most transmissible variant of SARS-CoV2 yet.

A recombinant variant occurs when an individual becomes infected with two or more variants at the same time, resulting in a mixing of their genetic material within a patient’s body.

This is not an unusual occurrence and several recombinant SARS-CoV-2 variants have been identified over the course of the pandemic, the UK scientists say.

However, it is important to monitor such variants closely to identify recombinants that may have immune-escape properties, meaning they can cause Covid-19 infection even in those who have been infected previously or those who have been vaccinated.

The new variant is 10 per cent more transmissible than the most contagious BA. 2 variant.

The global health body noted that until they can detect “significant” differences in transmission and disease characteristics, including severity, XE will remain categorised as part of the Omicron variant.

China has entered a second stage lockdown. Picture: AFP

NEW VARIANT SYMPTOMS

The newest variant of coronavirus does not lead to any severe symptoms, but it spreads rapidly.

Fatigue and dizziness are some of the initial symptoms, followed by headaches, sore throat, muscle soreness and fever.

But the most common symptoms of coronavirus such as the loss of smell and taste are rarely reported in people affected with the new Omicron variant.

Some other possible gastrointestinal signs like diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, stomach ache and others are quite common.

OTHER COVID VARIANTS DETECTED

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified two other new strains besides from the XE variant.

These two new recombinant strains have been given the names of XD and XF, with XD being a hybrid of Delta and BA. 1 variants of Omicron and XF being a combination of the UK Delta virus and the BA. 1 virus.

XD has been mostly detected in France, Denmark and Belgium and XF has been predominantly detected in Britain.

Originally published as First infection of new XE Covid variant detected in Australia