New COVID-19 Variant XE Found, Possibly More Transmissible Than Omicron: WHO

Commuters wear masks as they arrive at Paddington station in London on Nov. 30, 2021. Leon Neal/Getty Images

A COVID-19 Omicron subvariant—known as XE—has been found in the United Kingdom, said the World Health Organization in a new update.

The U.N. health body said (pdf) that the subvariant is compromised of genetic material from the two Omicron strains of BA.1 and BA.2.