What are the symptoms of new COVID variant XEC?

The new strain of coronavirus is not known to cause different symptoms, or have resistance to vaccines.

Crowds of shoppers and visitors out on Oxford Street on 28th August 2024 in London, United Kingdom. Oxford Street is a major retail centre in the West End of the capital and is Europes busiest shopping street with around half a million daily visitors to its approximately 300 shops, the majority of which are fashion and high street clothing stores. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)
A new COVID variant - XEC - is starting to emerge. (Getty Images)

COVID hospital admissions are on the rise across the country, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned, as a new and potentially more transmissible variant becomes more prevalent across the world.

Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said that COVID-19 was continuing to circulate, with a slight increase in hospital admissions in the past two weeks, adding that 1 in 10 of the cases being tested are of the new XEC lineage.

"We understand people may be concerned about new variants. Current information doesn’t suggest we should be more concerned about this variant but we are monitoring this closely. The most important thing to do is to get your vaccination as soon as possible if you’re eligible," Dr Bernal said.

UKHSA figures show that the admission rate for patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 stood at 4.5 per 100,000 people in the week to 6 October – compared to 3.7 the previous week.

The North East of England was the most affected region, with a hospital admission rate of 8.12 per 100,000 people.

Those aged 85 years and over had the highest hospital admission rate, which increased to 52.48 per 100,000 compared with 40.39 in the previous week.

COVID-19 ICU admissions decreased to 0.12 per 100,000 in week 10 compared with 0.14 in the previous week

Weekly COVID-19 hospitalisations per 100,000 trust catchment population by UKHSA region. (UKHSA)
Weekly COVID-19 hospitalisations per 100,000 trust catchment population by UKHSA region. (UKHSA)

It comes as global cases of the XEC COVID variant continue to rise slowly, since it was first identified in Germany in June.

Professor Francois Balloux, director of the University College London Genetics Institute, has previously said “there is no evidence that XEC symptoms may differ from those caused by any other [COVID] lineage”.

Yale Medicine's Roberts also said the symptoms of the virus haven’t changed. “I'm not aware of any changes in the behaviour of the virus outside of the increased transmissibility," he said.

That would mean the usual COVID symptoms listed by the NHS – including a high temperature or shivering, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change to sense of smell or taste – would still apply.

These are:

  • a high temperature or shivering (chills) – a high temperature means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)

  • a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours

  • a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

  • shortness of breath

  • feeling tired or exhausted

  • an aching body

  • a headache

  • a sore throat

  • a blocked or runny nose

  • loss of appetite

  • diarrhoea

  • feeling sick or being sick

Professor Balloux said “XEC has a slight transmission advantage" and it is possible it will "become the dominant subvariant over the winter".

The NHS says the virus "spreads very easily through close contact with people who have the virus. When someone with COVID-19 breathes, speaks, coughs or sneezes, they release small droplets containing the virus. You can catch it by breathing in these droplets, or by touching surfaces covered in them and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth. You are more likely to catch it indoors and in crowded places."

COVID vaccines from the NHS are now only available for "people at increased risk" from the virus.

Eligible groups include people who are over 65; care home residents; frontline health and social care workers; and people in clinical risk groups, including pregnant women.

The UK's winter vaccine programme opened on Thursday and appointments can be booked on the NHS website here. Alternatively, people can find a walk-in vaccination site here.

Meanwhile, people who are not in the eligible groups listed above can still buy COVID vaccines privately.

Boots is one high street retailer which provides a private vaccination service, with the 15-minute in-store appointments costing £98.95.