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COVID XE Variant COVID-19: New 'XE' variant more contagious than Omicron
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, April 9: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md. Sharfuddin Ahmed has warned about the new 'XE' variant of Covid-19.
He said, "The new 'XE' variant of corona is 10 percent more contagious than the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron."
He said this while speaking as the chief guest at the 271st meeting of the Standing Committee of the Bangladesh University Council on Friday (April 8) afternoon.
Sharfuddin Ahmed said that 'XE', the new variant of Corona, has recently been detected for the first time in a person's body in India's Mumbai.
He said, "According to research, the combination of BA.1 and BA.2 sub-variants of Omicron or recombinant mutations has led to the formation of the 'XE' variant. As a result of this variant, the situation in the Chinese commercial city of Shanghai is deteriorating. The authorities have not been able to bring the situation under control even with the lockdown."
In this situation, the Vice-Chancellor has advised everyone including the doctors of the country to be careful.
Prof. Dr. Shahidul Rashid Bhuiyan, Treasurer of Bangladesh University Council and Vice Chancellor of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dr. Soumitra Shekhar, Vice Chancellor of Chittagong University, Prof. Dr. Shirin Akhter, Vice Chancellor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, and Prof. Dr. Farid Uddin Ahmed were present in the meeting which was chaired by Dr. Md. Habibur Rahman, President of Bangladesh University Council and Vice Chancellor of University of Engineering and Technology.
Meanwhile, in an article published in a British medical journal, UK scientists said that the 'XE' variant was created from a combination of BA.1 and BA.2 sub-variants of the highly contagious Omicron variant.
The World Health Organization says the newly converted 'XE' variant is 10 percent more contagious than Omicron's sub-variant BA.2. Initially, the XE variant produced 10 percent more community transmission than the BA.2 sub-variant, according to the WHO.
