Latest COVID variant, XEC, has spread to half of US states, reports say

The latest strain of the COVID-19 virus, XEC, is circulating crossed the country.

The caller variant has been reported successful astatine slightest 25 U.S. states, according to information from the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS), arsenic WebMD reported.

Some of the states with the highest cases — 10 oregon much each — see California, New Jersey and Virginia, the information showed.

'VACCINE FATIGUE' BLAMED AS ROUGHLY HALF OF PEOPLE IN US WILL SKIP COVID AND FLU SHOTS THIS YEAR

As of Friday, the variant is not yet being tracked by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) oregon the World Health Organization (WHO).

XEC represents a shuffling of 2 descendants of past year’s JN.1 strain, according to an infectious diseases expert. (iStock)

KP.3.1.1 is inactive considered the "predominant variant" of the virus, according to the CDC’s website.

Jake Glanville, PhD, an infectious diseases adept and CEO of Centivax successful San Francisco, California, told Fox News Digital that XEC represents a shuffling of 2 descendants of past year’s JN.1 strain. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP      

"Coronaviruses are mutating continuously, truthful erstwhile new strains go dominant, it tends to beryllium due to the fact that that strain has an corruption oregon transmission vantage implicit each the different circulating mutant strains retired there," helium told Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview. 

XEC is an illustration of specified a new, mutated strain, the doc confirmed.

Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer for the 2024-2025 season. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

"So far, it doesn't look to person immoderate chiseled symptoms oregon mode of infection," Glanville said.  

"It mightiness beryllium a small more infectious than immoderate different strains, which is wherefore it's becoming dominant, but there's nary unsocial origin for interest for the public."

The existent vaccines are based connected the KP.2 strain, which itself is besides a descendant of JN.1 and a tenable lucifer for XEC, Glanville noted.

COVID PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS HAD 'ALARMING' IMPACT ON TEENAGERS’ BRAINS, NEW STUDY FINDS

"As XEC doesn’t look to person immoderate antithetic infection symptoms, and is beauteous akin to the vaccine strains chosen by the FDA this year, XEC is not a unsocial interest astatine this time," the adept said. 

"It's thing that vaccine developers show to effort to recognize astatine what constituent they request to marque a caller vaccine, due to the fact that yet XEC oregon immoderate different strain volition mutate capable to flight the existent vaccine designs."

"Vaccine makers show these strains, due to the fact that yet XEC oregon immoderate different strain volition mutate capable to flight the existent vaccine designs," an infectious diseases adept said. (iStock)

It's ever imaginable that a caller variant volition germinate into mutations that origin caller types of symptoms, Glanville said, but noted that isn't presently happening with XEC.

"This looks similar the coronavirus that we're utilized to," the doc said.

COVID VACCINE DISTRUST GROWING AMONG AMERICANS, SURVEY FINDS: ‘SHOULD BE A PERSONAL CHOICE’

Dr. Marc Siegel, elder aesculapian expert for Fox News and objective prof of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, agreed that the existent 2024-2025 vaccines should screen the emerging XEC subvariant.

"Common symptoms see sore throat, congestion, cough, fatigue, nausea and nonaccomplishment of taste," helium told Fox News Digital.

"Eventually, XEC oregon immoderate different strain volition mutate capable to flight the existent vaccine designs."

Siegel recommends the updated vaccine for the elderly, radical who are immunocompromised, those with chronic illness, and young children who did not get erstwhile COVID vaccines.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer for the 2024-2025 season.

For much Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health

The updated mRNA vaccines, Comirnaty and Spikevax, were afloat approved for radical 12 years and older, portion the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were granted exigency authorization for children 6 months done 11 years of age, according to the FDA announcement.

Fox News Digital reached retired to the CDC for comment.