New Omicron variant XE found in UK but ‘too soon to say’ how contagious it is

A new Covid variant has been found in the UK but experts say it’s too soon to know if it is more transmissible than previous strains. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSCA) said it was studying XE - a mutation of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron strains, referred to as a 'recombinant'. The government body said that, as of 22 March, 637 cases of XE had been detected in England, only a small fraction of the tens of thousands of Covid cases being reported every day since restrictions were lifted.