Health bosses issue update on XEC Covid variant amid warning of winter 'tripledemic'

National health chiefs have issued a new update on the XEC Covid variant, as data gives an important insight to the latest strain of the disease.

The NHS is warning against a 'tripledemic' of viruses this winter, including Covid, flu and RSV. The XEC variant of coronavirus has been spreading across the globe and the UK, with increasing cases of the strain.

But one health boss says current surveillance 'doesn’t suggest we should be more concerned about this variant'. Although he warned that respiratory infections are expected to spike as the season continues, 'so don’t wait for it to hit your household'.

READ MORE: GP issues warning over Covid levels in UK but says doctors 'can't tell a lot of the time'

Testing for the majority of people has significantly decreased following the end of widespread testing and the cost of purchasing lateral flow kits. The lack of a comprehensive, obligatory reporting system for test results also makes it challenging for public health leaders to accurately determine the exact number of cases and the rate at which new strains are spreading.

But the latest surveillance by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says that Covid-19 is at 'low to moderate levels'. Flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have been on the increase, but most signs being monitored by health experts say they are still at low levels.

The weekly average rate for people testing positive for Covid-19 increased slightly at 14.6% this week, according to data published today (October 17), compared to 13.5% in the previous week. This is based on a percentage of people who test positive in hospital settings. Covid-19 hospitalisations remained stable at 4.64 per 100,000, compared to 4.46 per 100,000 in the previous week.

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