New Covid XJ variant which could evade vaccines spreading as more cases found

A number of cases of Omicron XJ - the newest variant - were detected in Finland at the end of March. Now a case has been identified in Italy, and validated by the Istituto Superiore di Sanit. At the same time a case has been detected in Thailand. The country's Medical Sciences Department has found the XJ genetic code in a delivery driver diagnosed with Covid in Bangkok. The man had been vaccinated. The department's director Supakit Kirilak said: 'It is highly likely to be the XJ recombinant. He met many people due to the nature of his job. That made him vulnerable to infection.' Supakit said the variant detected is definitely not the XE strain - which was first detected in the United Kingdom in January. As of 22 March 2022, there were 763 XE cases in the UK.