The Department of Health (DOH) said that there is no need to worry amid the detection of a new variant of COVID-19 named XEC.
DOH spokesperson Asec. Albert Domingo said that a new variant will always mutate, but the spokesperson noted that there is still no data that the said variant is highly dangerous.
“Although there was a new variant that was introduced. We should remember that there will always be a new variant. XEC has a new mutation, maybe what they are worrying about is if it is easy to infect the people but there are still no data that shows if it’s highly infectious or not,” Domingo said.
The XEC variant is known as a “recombinant variant” a recombination of the KS.1.1 and the KP.3.3 variants, which both evolved from JN.1. The JN.1 variant was the dominant variant around the world at the start of 2024.
Currently, there is a total of 600 XEC cases identified in 27 countries across Europe, North America, and Asia. XEC variant was discovered in Germany in August.
The DOH stated that the recorded infections of KP.2 and KP.3 have decreased to 80 cases per day from 400 to 500 per day. Domingo noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) said that flu-like illness in the current colder weather may not be attributed necessarily to XEC variant.
“The warning from the WHO is that even though the number of hospitalized patients due to flu has increased this time, it is not necessarily linked to the new variant XEC. It might just be due to gatherings leading to transmission,” the official said.
The health spokesperson also stated that there is no reported spike in cases in Germany.
Moreover, he noted that mandatory face mask is not reimposed, but should be used voluntarily.
