The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)  has begun researching a new mutation of the omicron strain of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus called XE, TASS reported with reference to the public health authorities of Great Britain.

Initial findings indicate that XE, which originated from subspecies BA.1 and BA.2 of the coronavirus infection, is highly contagious, exceeding other known omicron mutations by 10 percent. As of 22 March, there were 637 cases of variant XE infection in England.

The UKHSA also noted that the number of cases is not yet high enough to allow a full study of the transmissibility of this mutation, as well as the severity of the course and interaction with existing vaccines.