Brazil confirms first case of Omicron subvariant
A case of another variant of the new coronavirus has been identified in Brazil. The Butantan Institute reported that it found a person infected with the subvariant called XE, which combines two strains of Omicron.
The case was confirmed by the Ministry of Health, which released a note reporting it had been notified by the Butantan Institute. The ministry added it “has been constantly monitoring the COVID-19 epidemiological landscape.”
The XE variant is a combination of two different strains of Omicron, BA.1 and BA.2. The first case was detected in London in January this year. According to the Butantan Institute, the growth rate of XE is ten percent higher than that of the BA.2 strain.
There is still not enough evidence to gauge such aspects as severity, transmission, and the effectiveness of existing vaccines, the institute stated.
