A new COVID-19 variant, named XEC by the CDC, has caused an explosion of cases across half the country, including Pennsylvania.
With its first cases recorded in Germany back in May, according to NBC News, the new strand of the virus was detected in the United States in July. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, XEC has been responsible for 5.7% of new cases recorded in the U.S. this past week.
The new variant is part of the Omicron family, an infamous variant of COVID-19, classified by the World Health Organization and the CDC as a “variant of concern,” meaning that it belongs to a deadly family.
Although daunting, XEC being related to Omicron may be a perk when it comes to boosters and COVID-19 precautions. The variant looks similar to strands of Omicron, meaning that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will likely be able to mitigate its symptoms.
Therefore, it is also accurate to predict that the new variant will spread via respiratory interaction, thus people will already be aware of how to handle an outbreak and how to best protect themselves.
Symptoms are also majorly consistent between XEC and previous outbreaks of Omicron variants. According to Today News, these symptoms include a sore throat, coughing, body aches, fatigue and congestion.
While COVID-19’s summer peak has passed, the CBS News Health Watch asserts that XEC will likely peak in mid-January. As college campus community members, you may wonder what can be done to mitigate the effects of the new variant.
The Wellness Center works tireslessly to provide students with adequate testing services and housing provisions when necessary. While positive COVID tests have been reported to the Wellness Center, there have also been many negative tests and diagnosis of other respiratory illnesses.
Catching the new variant will likely not change your experience symptoms wise, but it may be responsible for a significant uptick in cases this winter. Protecting yourself and your fellow classmates is as urgent as ever as we enter flu and cold season.
As always, the Wellness Center urges students to stay up to date on their flu and COVID-19 vaccines, which students can register for on Totara.
