A new COVID variant, XEC, has arrived just before fall. The new variant has sprouted from the Omicron variant that developed in late 2021. Though XEC is new, Prof Francois Balloux, director of the Genetics Institute at University College London, told the BBC that he would be surprised if it became the dominant variant throughout winter.

Even as COVID-19 activity remains high in the United States, a new variant - XEC is spreading rapidly in Europe and other parts of the world. Although few cases have been detected in the US so far, experts are projecting that XEC could be on track to become the dominant strain in the country this fall.