New Covid variant XEC: Reported symptoms and what experts say about 'new wave'

A new variant of Covid named XEC is expected to become the dominant strain in the coming weeks.

Experts have said XEC, a sublineage of the Omicron variant, will likely cause a new wave of infections over the autumn, taking over from the current dominant variant KP.3.

The new strain is understood to be spreading in the UK, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands among other countries. Reports from American media suggest the new variant has also now been found in half of US states.

READ MORE: Covid sufferers 'never been this sick' as they detail symptoms amid new XEC strain

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Dr Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, said the new strain is now "taking charge", while data analyst Mike Honey said it is spreading "quite rapidly" through several countries. The XEC variant was first discovered in Berlin in Germany back in June.

Here's everything we know about the new variant, including what the experts have said about a new wave and the symptoms Covid sufferers have reported in recent weeks.

Experts have suggested the XEC strain will soon become the dominant variant. The new strain is understood to have mutations that may make it more transmissible than previous variants.

Dr Topol told the LA Times it would likely take "many weeks, a couple months, before it really takes hold and starts to cause a wave".

In the UK, the latest data suggests Covid cases are creeping up again after falling during the end of July and start of August. The number of infections in the UK was up by 3.6 per cent in the seven days to September 11, with the number of hospital admissions dropping by 6.6 per cent.

The UKHSA has not