New COVID strain XEC is a recombinant strain of two variants in the Omicron family: KS.1.1 and KP.3.3. The hybrid strain was first reported in Berlin in late June but has spread across Europe, North America and Asia, with Germany, France, the Netherlands and Denmark leading the charge.

Here’s everything you might want to know about the new strain of Covid to keep yourself and any vulnerable loved ones safe. The main things to watch out for are pretty much the same as the classic ‘flu-like’ symptoms we all became familiar with back in 2020.

A new study from the University of Southern California has also found the order in which symptoms of the new XEC variant occurs. In a report, doctors say the order of symptoms for XEC is fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pain or headache, nausea or vomiting and diarrhoea

Covid hospitalisations have surged across Britain at an “alarming” rate as a new variant of the virus emerged, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned. UKHSA figures showed the admission rate for patients testing positive for Covid XEC stood at 4.5 per 100,000 people in the week to October 6 – up from 3.7 a week earlier.

KP.3.1.1 is still the dominant COVID-19 variant in the United States as it accounts for nearly 60% of positive cases, but the XEC variant is not far behind, recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data shows.

Health experts in the UK have identified a new COVID-19 variant, XEC, as the country prepares for the usual rise in winter infections. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has noted a slight increase in hospitalizations,

Households are bracing themselves for a triple threat this winter as the new XEC variant of Covid-19 cases spike, flu jabs hit a low uptake, and RSV infections rise. These three illnesses share similar early symptoms,

The new XEC variant of Covid-19 is spreading across the UK, while cases of respiratory syncytial virus or RSV are also on the rise as we head into flu season

Doctors have issued a warning that the new XEC variant of Covid-19 presents symptoms in a specific order, as Brits grapple with a triple-threat this winter. The rise in cases coincides with low flu jab uptake and an increase in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections.

Health chiefs are urging people to isolate at home if they show one of four key symptoms of Covid-19. The warning comes as Covid continues to circulate in the UK, with hospital admissions still on the rise.