SCIENTISTS are sounding the alarm about a new more contagious Covid variant called XEC, which is spreading across Europe.

First detected in Germany in June, XEC has now been reported in several countries, including the UK, Denmark, and Germany.

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The XEC variant is shaping up to be the “next big challenge” for hospitals, experts say.

“At this juncture, the XEC variant appears to be the most likely one to get legs next,” Dr Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California, wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

He said it may take “many weeks, a couple of months, before it really takes hold and starts to cause a wave”.

He added: “XEC is definitely taking charge,”

“That does appear to be the next variant.

“But it’s months off from getting into high levels.”

As it stands, scientists believe the fresh bug is not likely to be as deadly as some of its predecessors, but could be more contagious.

Professor Francois Balloux, Director of the Genetics Institute at University College London, told BBC News that although XEC has a “slight transmission advantage” over other recent Covid variants, vaccines should still offer good protection

For those more likely to become seriously ill from Covid, the NHS offers a free booster shot.

Jabs have been updated to tackle recent variants, though not specifically for XEC, which evolved from earlier Omicron strains.

The symptoms of the XEC variant aren’t too different from what we’ve seen with earlier strains, including tiredness, headaches, sore throat, and a high fever.

News of this new variant comes after a summer surge of the other coronavirus subvariants including FLiRT.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has not yet released data on the XEC variant, so the number of people who have contracted it in the UK is not known.

However, the latest figures show that Covid cases in the UK are increasing by 4.3 per cent week on week.

The leading countries reporting cases of XEC are Germany, Denmark, the UK and the Netherlands, Covid data analyst Mike Honey, said on X.

So far, over 500 samples from 27 countries, including Poland, Norway, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Portugal and China, have been found to contain XEC, according to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data.

Its prevalence remains low in the US and Canada, though scientists are keeping a close eye on its spread, especially in Europe.

What are the symptoms of XEC Covid?

Symptoms are thought to be the same cold or flu-like ones that came with previous variants.

This includes:

• A high temperature
• Aches
• Tiredness
• A cough or sore throat
• Trouble sleeping
• A runny nose

Most people feel better within a few weeks of Covid but it can take longer to recover.

How can I stay protected?

Covid-19 spreads very easily through close contact with people who have the virus.

So if you, or your child are at increased risk from Covid try and stay away from people with symptoms until they feel better.

It’s important to wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the day.

Try to avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.

You should get vaccinated if you are eligible.

People qualifying for a free booster vaccine include:

• Adults aged 65 years and over
• Those living in a care home for older adults
• Those over the age of six months in a clinical risk group
• Some front-line NHS, care-home and social-care workers